Rumble Rumble no Luffy
by Mysterium Tremendum
Summary: At a young age, Luffy ate the Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi and began his journey to become the Pirate King. With power however, how would Luffy change history. My first story.
1. Prologue

**_Chapter 1 - [Prologue]_**

===[o Author's Notes o]===

**Okay, Mysterium Tremendum does not own One Piece, nor does he have the ingenious brain of Eiichiro Oda.**

Hooray! I've finally finished the first chapter of my very first story! This calls for a celebration, if anyone is willing to donate cake and donuts, we'll have a party to celebrate this momentous occasion. Until then, on with the story. To begin with, I've seen the some other Goro Goro no Mi stories and I'm hoping to top them if I can. I'm a patient writer and more used to school than anything so forgive me if my writing may lack some common elements since I've never written anything that didn't have a whole lot of parameters set for it. Such as, it must be this length, in this format, and must explain this or have these works cited for 100 points.

Do not worry, Luffy will not be completely overpowering and making it ZAP-ZAP-Die, No No No, I have a much more grandiose scheme in mind.

Now than...

BANG! - [Sound]

"_Perhaps I should've..."_ - [Thought/Thinking]

===[o End of Author's Note o]===

Our Story begins...

The night breeze on Fusha Island blew gently throughout the thick of the dense forest. The leaves rustled lightly while the shadows danced to and fro amidst the beauty of the glowing full moon. In the middle of a small clearing in the deepest parts of the jungle, surrounded by towering trees, a little boy with short black hair, clad in a torn white shirt and short blue trousers, lay collapsed on the cold hard ground.

"Baka jii-chan!"(1) cried out the 6 ½ year old Monkey D. Luffy, "Why did he have to throw me into this stupid jungle!"

Luffy stayed on the ground fuming at his troublesome elder as the stars sparkled brightly amidst the darkness of the night.

A loud grumbling noise broke Luffy's rant, twisting Luffy's face into a pained expression, "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten in hours. Those mushrooms I ate a few hours ago didn't last long." Luffy held his hand to his stomach with his tongue hanging from his mouth.

Luffy rose slowly and looked around for a few seconds. _"There must be something I can eat around here!"_ Luffy thought while he scanned the area he'd stopped at. He didn't recognize the clearing and the he couldn't find the way that he'd come. With no idea where he was, Luffy shrugged and set off further into the depths of the forest in search of food.

* * *

><p>Luffy wandered through the dark and foreboding forest for several minutes, scanning the dark shadowy surroundings for anything he could eat. His stomach groaning loudly while Luffy held his hand to his stomach and continued searching and walked further into the forest, remembering how he'd ended up in such a place.<p>

_[[[ - Flashback - ]]]_

"Luffy, you're going to be a marine!" the ever eccentric Garp the Fist said with confidence as he pointed dramatically at the entrance to the deepest forest on Fusha island, while Luffy sat cross-legged beside him. The shadow of the forest looming over them. The sun on Fusha Island bathed the island in a rich golden light as it slowly set over the horizon. Luffy stared at the forest oddly before turning his gaze to his troublesome elder.

"But jii-chan, I want to be a pirate! Why do you keep trying to make me a marine and what are we doing here?" Luffy answered and stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest, pouting at Garp. Luffy always hated how his jii-chan kept trying to get him to become a marine. Garp the Fist however, would not yield to his stubborn grandson.

"You WILL become the strongest marine! Even if I have to throw you back into that ravine a hundred times to ensure it!" Garp exclaimed as he grabbed Luffy and lifted him up to face-level by the scruff of his shirt. Luffy struggled against the powerful grip, "You wouldn't..." Garp smiled widely, "I would, and it is why you will be spending a few nights in this forest. A marine must always be ready to withstand hardship in the name of duty. Now..." Garp wound his arm back as Luffy yelped and struggled, "Withstand it!"

With a large yelp, Luffy was thrown into the depths of the forest. He rolled and turned, bouncing in the dirt and finally sliding to an abrupt stop as he rolled upside down and slammed into a large tree. Gritting his teeth, Luffy slumped down on top of his head, dazed. Regaining his composure, Luffy rubbed his head and dusted himself off. Amidst angry mutterings, Luffy before walking straight down the path, further into the forest.

_[[[ - End Flashback - ]]]_

Luffy's thoughts snapped back and he continued walking through dark forest, looking for mushrooms, or anything that he could eat.

He scanned the sides of the dirt road, when a sudden rustle of leaves came from a nearby bush, startling Luffy. He shakily turned his head towards the disturbance. The rustling quieted after a second, but it made Luffy more than a little anxious to find out what had caused it. Slowly and silently, he crept toward the sound and reached his hand into the thick brush of leaves.

His hand wandered through the mass of leaves until it rubbed against something hard and boney, causing Luffy to voice out a small "Heh?" until he grabbed the object and pulled it. The object didn't budge at Luffy's tug. Furling his eyebrows, Luffy pulled on it again but to no avail. Frustrated, Luffy kicked the inside of the bushes with his foot until it struck something hard.

Luffy yelped in surprise as a boar about as large as Luffy himself suddenly rushed out from the bushes. Luffy grabbed onto one of its tusk as it rushed by and further into the dark forest. Luffy hung on to the boar's tusks as the entire forest whished past him in a complete blur.

They raced on for several minutes, Luffy holding on to the young boar's tusks, yelling loudly until the boar slammed into a wayward tree. The impact sent Luffy's small body rolling across the ground into a nearby tree while the boar's tusk lodged into the trunk of the tree. Luffy groaned as the impact jarred his small body, causing his vision to go blurry. Before he passed out, Luffy caught sight of a large body of water lurking just beyond the wraith-like trees.

* * *

><p>It was a little while before Luffy came to. His eyes opened slowly as his vision returned. Although blurry, he began to make out the large tree with holes in it where the boar had crashed into as well as the rising dawn that lingering over the horizon. Luffy's nose suddenly caught a strong whiff of sea salt and he dazedly got to his feet, and turned around slowly as the beach he'd seen before caught his eye.<p>

Dizzily, Luffy lumbered down the slope overshadowed by the thick trees that separated him from the sight of the vast ocean with his eyes half-opened and his vision blurry. His stomach growled loudly as the smell of salt enticed him further down the slope toward the ocean.

A few minutes later, Luffy gazed out into the vast ocean as the salty wind reminded his stomach of food and caused it to grumble loudly. Still a little dazed, Luffy moved his head from left to right, looking over at the sandy coast while waves gently crashed down upon the beach

A minute passed where Luffy just examined the coastline and his vision slowly began to return while his drowsiness and fatigue subsided.

With his vision becoming clearer, Luffy turned his head when he heard a slight noise off in the distance and stopped when he saw a small object lying on the sand a few feet from him. His eyes snapped open as he further gazed at the small object and his brain began to work again.

The object was a small fruit, covered in squiggly marks as if someone had drawn on it with a thin marker and shaped like a bushel of blue-colored grapes. It also had a wavy green stem coming out of the top.

As soon as Luffy's brain registered this, a large grin appeared across his face. He dashed over the sand, yelling "FOOD!" at the top of his lungs and swiftly grabbed up the small fruit. Opening his mouth wide, he swallowed a large bite and continued to eat ravenously, even though the vile taste of it nearly had him gagging on it.

Despite the horrid taste however, Luffy viciously gobbled up the fruit within a matter of seconds. Swallowing the last of it, Luffy slumped to the ground as his hunger subsided marginally. He laid down on the ground for a few minutes while the rising sun slowly started to coat the sky in a magnificent hue of bright orange.

Smiling brightly as the sun began to rise; Luffy stood up and promptly headed back into the forest for the final day.

The day passed uneventfully, he hunted for food when he was hungry and chased wild animals whenever he felt like it or found some other distraction until the next morning when he was scheduled to leave the forest.

Luffy walked down the forest path, where he saw Garp sleeping soundly up against a large tree. Luffy quietly tiptoed up to his grandfather and looked at him curiously. His nose bubble blowing from his nose while drool spilled out from his mouth. Luffy waved a hand in front of his face before deciding to wake him up.

"Jii-chan, Wake up!" Luffy shook Garp's shoulder slightly, but received no response. Agitated, Luffy shook harder and when that still produced, he frowned at the old man and kicked him as hard as he could. This time though, Garp lurched and quickly swung an unconscious fist forward. The fist hit Luffy hard in the face, sending him flying across the grassy plain. Garp blinked for a few seconds while the sleepiness cleared away. His eyes widened when he saw Luffy lying down a few meters away.

Garp's anger raged and he promptly marched up to his grandson and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt.

"LUFFY! THIS IS NO TIME TO BE SLEEPING!" He shouted and shook Luffy roughly before striking him hard on the back of his head with his hard fist.

"OUCH! Jii-chan why did you do that?" Luffy complained, waking up while Garp stood clutching him by his shirt and staring at him with an angry expression.

"This isn't the time to be asleep! Navy Marines must be awake 24/7 and be constantly aware of their surroundings!" Garp exclaimed loudly.

"But you were asleep jii-chan..." Luffy began before he was interrupted

"I was not asleep! I was awake the entire time I was waiting for you!" Garp exclaimed, shaking Luffy by his shirt while he hung down like a limp rag. Angry at his Grandson, Garp held his fist out and once again struck Luffy in the back of the head with his patented "Fist of Love"

The bumps on his head burned and thumped as Garp continued to rant. Luffy tried to struggle to be released from Garp's clutch and grasped his grandfather's fist to push off.

Something ran through his hand. A strange feeling that Luffy couldn't describe that seemed to flow from his palm. It tingled a bit before something happened that astounded Luffy. Sparks began to emit from his hand in the corner of his eye.

Garp's loud rant ceased and he began flash a bright yellow light, making odd noises and moving in an odd manner while Luffy remained unharmed, staring at him while still in his clutch.

"BWAH! AH AH!" Garp yelled out as electricity continued to flow from Luffy's hand.

The flashing stopped when Luffy removed his hand. Garp collapsed to the ground, briefly unconscious while Luffy sat down on the ground, staring at his right hand with a growing fascination. "What was that?" Luffy whispered silently to himself.

* * *

><p>"A strange fruit with squiggly markings that tasted horrible." Garp said, his when Luffy finished recounting his tale about the horrible tasting fruit he'd eaten while in the forest.<p>

Garp sat by the tree, his skin slightly burnt and smelling a little bit like he'd been smoking from his outfit getting charred. He looked over at his grandson, a look of seriousness plastered over his face.

"And you say you found it lying on the beach on the other side of the forest." Garp said to another nod from Luffy.

An air of silence filled the space between the two as Garp sat up against the tree, glaring intensely into the distance. In truth, Garp was overjoyed at this new development. Now it must be his absolute priority to make Luffy into a marine. With the Devil's fruit and his training, Luffy will undoubtedly be the strongest marine in history. It puzzled him how Luffy had gotten the fruit, but Garp began to smile widely as his desire to make Luffy a top-class marine flared up once again

"They're called a Devil Fruits. They're known as legendary fruits that grant whoever eats them a great power, at the cost of never being able to swim again." Garp said calmly while Luffy gave a large smile to it.

"Really! What power do I have than!" Luffy nearly jumped for joy.

"Now Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, it's odd that you found one here in the first place. Devil Fruits are usually native to the Grand Line, but we're in the farthest part of East Blue." He stared intensely at Luffy, "I wonder how it wound up on the shore." Garp scratched his head, "Hmmmm…"

Garp thought for another second, picking his nose and staring at Luffy, before deciding to raise his hands above his head, "All well, it doesn't matter now. All that matters now is finding out what type you are." Garp said with excitement in his voice and a wide smile on his face

Luffy pulled his finger from his nose to stare questioningly at Garp, "Type?"

Garp nodded his head, "Yes, Yes, There are 3 different types of Devil Fruit; Zoan, Paramecia, and Logia." Garp held out 3 fingers for Luffy and counted down for each of them. "Zoans have the power to turn into animals; Paramecia gain a superhuman ability like being able to stretch themselves or causing objects to levitate. And Logia are able to turn into a distinct element, granting them invulnerability to attacks as well as complete control of their element. The three most powerful men in the navy are Logia fruit users." Garp finished while Luffy calmly stared at him.

Garp picked his ear with his little finger before turning away from Luffy to put his hand under his chin in a rare moment of thought, "I don't think there are any Zoan fruits that can generate electricity like you did, unless you're one of the special ones. So that leaves Paramecia and Logia. The chance of this being a Logia fruit however is extremely low so I doubt it. They're the second rarest type of fruit available, so that leaves Paramecia." Garp walked off towards the nearest town while Luffy ran close behind.

* * *

><p>Well, the conclusion of the first chapter, hopefully I started off right. Don't worry, the fruits appearance will be explained later. Please review with positive comments. By positive, I mean have reasons behind whatever you say. That is always the difference between positive and negative comments. Positive comments always have feedback that has strong reasons behind them and gives meaning to what they're saying. I'm open to criticism and I encourage it, it will help me make this story enjoyable for you to read and help me make a better story. This is the first story I've written, so if I've done something else wrong, I apologize.<p>

As for a pairing for this story, I'm undecided. I'm prefer not to write sappy romances and stay away from such things, which is why my biggest fear is getting to the Amazon Lily arc. As for Eneru...You'll just have to wait and see what I have planned for him. Do not worry your pretty little head.

(1) I will be trying to use Jii-chan for Grandfather whenever Luffy is speaking. I'm an avid watcher of the subbed version and I just find it better suited to Luffy's character than Grandpa. Any issues with this?

Next Chapter: Undecided. Maybe a day or maybe a week.


	2. Luffy's Trials and meeting Shanks

_**Chapter 2 – [Luffy's Trials and meeting Shanks]**_

===[o Author's Notes o]===

**Thank you to those who reviewed and those who favorite this story. It spurs me on to know that I have your confidence.**

The first 3 to 4 chapters of this story are going to be known as the Childhood Arc, encompassing Luffy's development up to the parting of Ace and Sabo. I would also like to refer to them as my practice chapters, since this is my first story and I think my writing is a little weak at the moment. Please review with any suggestions, because I prefer to write my own chapters rather than ask for a beta-reader. I may down the road, but right now I prefer to learn first-hand.

**(Arc 1) Childhood**

BANG! - [Sound]

"_Perhaps I should've..."_ - [Thought/Thinking]

===[o End of Author's Note o]===

Garp sat in an empty Makino's bar, pouring over a book while Makino stood behind the bar cleaning wine glasses. Luffy sat on the other end of the bar, feasting on a large plate of meat. Makino took a moment to stare at Garp turning the page once again in the strange book he'd brought with him. It was odd to Makino that Garp hadn't ordered anything since he arrived. All he did was sit down and flip through pages of that book. For the eccentric Garp, that was an quite odd since he usually ordered a large amount of food whenever he set foot in the bar. Curiosity was starting to get the better of Makino, so she walked out from behind the bar and silently stepped up behind Garp and peered over his shoulder

Makino couldn't make out the words, but one of the pages of the book Garp was reading had 2 pictures of strange-looking fruits on it. One resembled a purple watermelon, another a small blue apple, and Makino couldn't identify the fruit on the next page. One thing though was common in all 3 of them however: S-shaped squiggles. Garp turned the page, and the next 3 had even weirder pictures, but the squiggles on the fruit's still remained.

Makino withdrew her head and smiled lightly as she asked "What are you looking at?"

Garp yelped as the sudden voice startled him, causing his eyes to bug out. He almost fell off the seat at the table, but was able to recover quickly by grasping the chair.

"DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!" Garp loudly scolded Makino, while the latter sweat-dropped.

Luffy turned his head towards the pair, his mouth stuffed to the brim with meat, but turned back to his meal a second later when he realized nothing interesting was going on while Garp went back to his book.

"I was just asking what you were reading since you've been very quiet since you walked in here." Makino gave an uneven smile.

"Hmmm...I was just reading this book I asked Sengoku to send to me that arrived today." Garp said, returning to his stout self while Makino picked up the book.

"The Encyclopedia of Devil Fruits written by Doc Vegapunk?" Makino read aloud. "I've heard a few myths about Devil Fruits from a few people that come in here from time to time but I didn't think that they actually existed." said Makino

Garp grabbed the book back and immediately set the book back on the table. "You and pretty much everyone else in East Blue. Devil Fruits are a little more common in the Grand line than in the Blues." Garp said while turning the page once again, "A few days ago, Luffy found one while he was wandering the forest and ate it. I'm trying to find it in this book so I'll know what it does. Garp said with his eyes running over the words on the next page.

Makino sat down at the small table while Garp's eyes continued to move ceaselessly, "What are you trying to find out about it? Surely a small book doesn't have all there is to know about them." Makino spoke conversationally.

Garp took a second to raise an eye from his book at Makino, "Well..."

Garp explained to Makino the differences between Zoan, Paramecia, and Logia fruits, while Makino sat down at the table listening to Garp's every word, distant munching coming from Luffy across the bar.

"I'm trying to figure out what Devil Fruit Luffy ate. I've ruled out Zoan fruits, and I've read through almost the entire Paramecia section. I've read about an electromagnetism Paramecia, but nothing that could create pure electricity and shock me like Luffy did. Logia fruits are too rare to be found in East Blue, especially on an island like this. A Logia fruit of electricity would be exceptionally powerful and to find one here is almost impossible, I even tried looking it up in the Logia section, but there was nothing on it" Garp finished staring intensely at Makino.

Gingerly, Makino picked up the book Garp had been reading and scanned through the Logia section. True to Garp's word, she couldn't find a single trace of a Logia that could become and control electricity.

Just as she was about to put the book back down on the table, her gazing eyes spotted an oddity on the last page of the book. Staring at the page, she turned towards Luffy, who was still munching on the large amount of food that Makino had prepared for him. "Luffy" she called out. Luffy turned towards her, a rather large slab of meat hanging from his mouth. Makino held the book in her hands and spoke calmly after Luffy swallowed.

"Describe the strange fruit that you said you found on the beach a few days ago." Makino kindly , while Garp sat with his arms crossed over his chest and also staring at Luffy.

Luffy gulped down the last piece of meat that had been on the table and pushed his index finger to his chin. His expression changed and his eyes danced with strained effort as Luffy dragged the image of the fruit from the dark depths of his mind.

"It was large, blue, and looked like a bushel of grapes. It also had squiggly markings all over it." Luffy said as his hand traced a squiggle in the air. "It also tasted horribly bitter." Luffy responded with his tongue sticking out, recalling the taste of the horrible fruit.

Garp crossed his arms and looked at Makino curiously, "What is she getting at?" Garp stared back at Luffy and habitually stuck his pinky finger up his nose for a second.

"Did it look a lot like this?" Makino held the book out for Luffy to see the page.

That was when Garp's jaw dropped, his eyes bulged out of his head, and snot dripped from his nose. _"No...she couldn't have..."_ Garp thought while Luffy stared at the picture for a second.

"Yeah Yeah, that's the one." Luffy smiled widely while Garp's jaw nearly broke the table to drop even lower.

Makino smiled kindly, "Yeah, I thought it was." Makino looked at the picture in the book, it matched Luffy's description perfectly. The small title at the top of the page was written in bold text, so even though the book itself was moderately old edition, Makino could make out the words.

"The Goro Goro no Mi." Makino spoke to herself, "Wow! Seems like it has quite some power." Makino said with a small amount of awe.

At that moment, Garp broke from his shock-induced stupor and seized the book from Makino's light grasp. His hands shook as he read through the text at rapid speed. "B..Bu...H..How did you?" His brain nearly collapsing with delight as he read the description at light speed in his head.

Makino gave a small victory smile, "It was stuck to the last page in the book. You were missing it." Makino said. The words that struck Garp the hardest were the words Logia-Class and electricity. As Garp finished the last few words of the description, his joy and delight were unparalleled. The picture matched Luffy's first description of the fruit to him perfectly. It even gave specifics on some of the fruit's capabilities.

Gingerly, Garp placed the book down, his hands still shaking, and he proceeded to...

"WAH HAHA HAHA WAH HAH HAH! YEEEEEESSSSS!" Garp rose his fists overhead as his head shot straight up and he celebrated the moment. He jumped from his sitting position to stand on the table top. Everything matched perfectly, and for Garp the moment couldn't have been more joyous. If things went well, Luffy would grow up to become the best marine ever. The image of Luffy wearing a large white marine coat with the kanji for Justice imprinted on the back and standing gloriously at the front of marine headquarters entered Garp's mind.

Garp jumped off of the table, leaving a sudden gust of wind that disturbed Makino's happy moment, and grabbed Luffy before blasting his fist right through the nearest wall and bolting through it with Luffy clasped in his arms. Makino stared for a second, with perplexed emotions as they faded into the distance. Makino watched while Luffy struggled in Garp's hold, through the large hole in the wall right next to the door.

* * *

><p>They reached a large meadow outside of town only a few minutes later. Luffy dropped out of Garp's clutch and landed awkwardly on his head, but shrugged it off a little and turned back to Garp.<p>

"Jii-chan, Why did you do that!" Luffy angrily demanded as Garp stood tall.

"Luffy, from this day on, I will be doubling your training." Garp stated, proud authority in his voice.

Luffy however, was confused, "Training?"

Garp smiled, "Yes, I've just realized now that I have been too soft on you. Throwing you into deep valleys..."

Luffy shivered.

"...tying you to balloons,..."

Luffy stiffened immensely

"...and leaving you alone in dangerous forests isn't enough to make you a strong marine. From now on..." Garp clasped the knuckle of his right fist in his left hand and cracked it, "I'm gonna show you some REAL training." Luffy gulped.

* * *

><p>The sunset on Fusha Island was always breathtaking to watch. The waves gently swishing upon the beach while the setting sun cast a magnificent orange glow over the island. In the middle of a large meadow on a hill overlooking the silent scene however, Luffy dangled by his waist from a long rope tied to a tall tree.<p>

He was covered from head to toe in large bumps, bruises, and scratches. Luffy's nose was swollen and dried blood ran down his upper lip. Garp's fists also had a small bit of blood on them, but he stood with with a proud smile on his face. Luffy swung lightly on the rope, taking deep and uneven breaths. His eyes were unable to be more than a little open due to the large bumps looming over his eyebrows and the rest of his body being sore and bruised.

Garp wouldn't admit it, but he was more proud of his grandson now than he ever was before. Garp had beat on him like a punching bag for several straight hours, in multiple ways, and yet Luffy did not pass out. Garp couldn't have been more proud, in his mind's eye, he could see the future Luffy surpassing him in nearly every manner.

"Hey...Luffy. Lets go home." Garp said and turned his back to head back to Fusha. He froze in mid-step however when he heard Luffy's panting voice.

"Jii-chan, are you finally going to tell me what the book said? I've been wondering for awhile now." Luffy spoke between deep pants.

Garp stayed with his leg outstretched when Luffy finished, he'd been waiting for the right moment to tell Luffy all about what he'd discovered in the Devil fruit book, and now was the perfect time to do so.

Garp sighed before turning around, and faced Luffy, beaming happily.

"Luffy, you did indeed eat a Logia fruit. Against my prior suspicions.." Garp scratched his head, "It is called the Goro Goro no Mi, or the Rumble Rumble fruit. In time, it will allow you to turn into and control electricity." said Garp.

Luffy's mouth curved into an slight smile, but with Luffy's almost shut eyes and bruises, it was almost comical to look at.

Garp smiled, "Don't get too happy with yourself yet, Logia need a large amount of training to control their abilities and be able to change into their elements at a moment's notice. It will take a long time before you're able to utilize it effectively." Garp bumped his fists together and proclaimed, "Tomorrow however, We're going to be doing some special training to help you along with mastering it." Garp let out a long laugh while Luffy frowned as he hung from the rope, a certain noise suddenly breaking the moment for the both of them.

"Jii-chan, can we eat soon?" Luffy moaned.

* * *

><p>Garp dragged Luffy down to the meadow the next day. Garp was garbed in his usual white suit, only thing missing was the usual cape with the kanji for justice imprinted on the back. A semi-bandaged Luffy sat at Garp's feet as Garp scanned over the page Makino had found on the Goro Goro no Mi.<p>

Suddenly Garp let out a loud "Ahah!", startling Luffy. "I found it! According to this book, the Goro Goro no Mi's powers are measured in Volts."

Luffy's head rolled to the side, "Volts?" he questioned.

Garp scratched his head in confusion as well, "Lets just say its how the power of your attacks is measured. It seems that 200 million volts is the maximum power you can generate."

Luffy's eyes widened slightly, "Wow." he said in awe.

"Of course, it will take time for you to be able to control that much, so I've come up with an idea. You'll need to learn how to control the Goro Goro no Mi and I can think of no better way but through battle. That's why we're going to spar and see if that helps you awaken it." Garp put the book down and got in a fighting stance.

"Come on Luffy, fight me with everything you've got! I'll even let you have the first move." Garp exclaimed and Luffy shakily got to his knees and stood still for a second before charging at Garp.

The spar was little more than Luffy being knocked back time and time again and Garp repeatedly pummeling him. Luffy would charge in with a punch, only for him to meet Garp's large fist and go tumbling back and Garp charging in and delivering a punishing blow to Luffy's head or an uppercut. The process repeated itself several times, before something else happened.

Bumps and bruises littered all over Luffy's body while Garp stood over and taunted him.

"BWAHAHAHA! Is that all you got Luffy? Come on? Show me your spirit!" Garp mocked as Luffy slowly rose to his feet.

"Shut up Jii-chan." Luffy rose to his feet and stood to face his grandpa once again. Garp gave a wide smile at his grandson before winding back as he prepared another punch.

Luffy charged at Garp, his fist suddenly emitting sparks as he ran wildly. Their fists clashed in the middle of the meadow, Garp's fist easily sending Luffy flying back a few meters and sprawling over the ground. Garp, however, soon felt a powerful shock course through him. It wasn't anything major, but it definitely surprised Garp and caused his body to wreathe a little bit until the shock subsided.

Luffy was able to recover from being thrown back and saw the shock that rocked Garp's body for a few seconds. In slight awe, Luffy held his hand up and saw it sparking. _"So this is what electricity is like..." _Luffy thought, feeling the electricity in his hand. Without thinking, Luffy filled his fist with a small amount of electricity and smiled as he did.

Garp looked on, beaming proudly as his scruffy grandson. Even from Garp's vantage point, he could see that Luffy was steadily beginning to get the hang of the Goro Goro no Mi. The shock caused by the last punch though, put Garp on his guard. Now that Luffy was able to utilize some shocks, it meant that Garp would have to start using some tricks of his own.

"Now than.." Garp said, rolling the sleeves of his white jacket, "..its time to get serious" Garp charged his own fist with power and rushed Luffy once again.

Luffy was put back on the defensive immediately, his grandfathers surprising speed catching him by surprise and rewarding Luffy with another large bump on his forehead and a trip through several more trees.

The sparring went on and on, lasted until late noon when both of their stomachs grumbled loudly.

Both of them looked at each other oddly, before turning around and heading back to Fusha village. Garp grasped Luffy by the back of the shoulder, his signature smile gracing his features along with a genuine look of pride. Luffy looked up at Garp and a smile broke from his face. They stood there for a few seconds, until Garp broke the silence, "Luffy, You're going to be a great marine." earning another shout from Luffy.

* * *

><p>The next few days were filled with nothing but harsh and grueling training. Garp beat on Luffy relentlessly, having him run through the jungle, sparring, and throwing him into sinking marshes with his hands tied behind his back. With each passing day, Luffy grew stronger and stronger. Than, one day came..<p>

Luffy stood on the docks as a large group of pirates walked down a plank running from a large docked ship. Luffy's eyes were filled with awe. One man, however, caught Luffy's eye. He was a tall man wearing a straw hat over his head and a black coat over a white shirt that was buttoned halfway, and brown trousers with a red sash. Luffy also noticed of the 3 long scars that ran vertically over the man's left eye. With a burst of eager and excitement, Luffy followed the group of pirates into Makino's bar.

They walked into the bar to an encore of loud shouts and cheering. It was immediately packed with both pirates, guzzling down several gallons of beer and rum. At the head of the bar, sat the red-haired pirate along with the happy-faced Luffy.

"Shanks, do you mind if I come with you next time? Jii-chan wants me to be a marine but I want to be a pirate!" The bubbly Luffy asked to the good-natured cheers from everyone in the bar.

"Dahahahaha!"Shanks laughed heartily, "What makes you think you can be a pirate?" he said

"Luffy, being a pirate is about more than how good of a swimmer you are. There is a lot more to it than that, you have to be strong like one too." a pirate with long blond hair interjected.

Luffy looked at the man, who was smirking slightly.

"I am so! My punch is as powerful as a pistol!" Luffy punched his fist out.

"Yeah so?" said Shanks.

"What do you mean by that!" Luffy angrily shouted at Shanks.

Luffy heard a big man suddenly say, "Luffy is still a kid." to which he immediately yelled, "I'm not a kid! I'm a man!"

Shanks smiled kindly and slid a glass of juice over to Luffy. "Here have some juice." he said.

Luffy smiled with delight and grabbed the glass and gulped down a large swallow.

Shanks started howling with laughter, slapping the table.

"See? You're still a kid!" Shanks said amidst more jeers of laughter and angry shouts and name-calling from Luffy.

Shanks laughed loudly among the other bar patrons, before coming to a stop. He looked over at a large amount of boards, poorly nailed over the wall. Shanks scratched his head for a moment before turning around a looking at Makino.

"Excuse me Makino. Have you been robbed recently?" Shanks asked politely. Makino stood back a little bit.

"No, we weren't. Why?" She said questioningly.

Shanks was a little perturbed at the answer, "Its nothing, but a lot of us assumed there were just some renovations going on, but now I'm wondering. How did a large hole get in the wall right next to the door?" He asked while pointing oddly at the boarded over wall.

Makino smiled politely while also having a large sweat bead roll down her forehead, "You really don't want to know." Shanks looked at her for a second, and looked at the wall, than shrugged and went back to his drink.

* * *

><p>Whoopee! Another Chapter done. This one is a little longer than my last one.<p>

Hope you all enjoy it, and drop me a well-written review. As said, I fear that my writing isn't good enough, so I'm asking for more reviews. I'm working slowly, the plot is progressing a little too slow, but I'm finding its necessary for what I have planned.

Now than, My plan is to stick the entire "Luffy, Ace, and Sabo" set of the Childhood Arc into 1 to 2 chapters. I'm hoping for at least 11 reviews by the time I post the 3rd chapter, to at least give me an idea if I'm doing it right. Thank you.


	3. Childhood Part 1

_**Chapter 3 – [Childhood : Part 1]**_

* * *

><p>============================[o <strong>Author's Notes<strong> o]==============================

I thank you all for the reviews, I always check my email now to see if I get any for this story, whether critical or otherwise, its a big confidence booster. A couple good questions were asked and I yearn to answer as many as I possibly can. Here are a few things I will say though, to put some minds at east..

- **1.)** Luffy will be a pirate and the crew will be canon. I may also add in another character if I feel like it. I considered the idea of making Luffy a marine since Garp is more active here, but I decided to stick with the story because making Luffy a marine would make a lot of people sad since it would make his original crew more difficult to come by. I prefer Luffy as a pirate anyway, and if I'm to make the best Logia Luffy story ever, I believe it should be a pirate story, not a marine story, though I have a few ideas for another story to follow that route. Luffy's training will have an effect on him in the childhood arc however.

- **2.)** The infamous East Blue Saga …. Known for being extremely difficult to do when characters are more powerful than they were before. Don't worry, if my ideas work out, it shouldn't be boring.

- **3.)** Sabo: I'm not sure at the moment. There is some doubt that Sabo actually died in the Gray Terminal or not. I'm afraid to go either way, since I could be wrong. He's presumed deceased but maybe he isn't. Well this is fan fiction and Luffy does have developing lightning powers, so its a possible twist and would certainly validate having to go through the entire childhood part so I might.

- **4.)** The original story …. More or less. I might change / add in an island or two if the story becomes lackluster, to give it a breath of fresh air, especially since I hate having to just type whatever characters say in the anime, too boring. I already have an idea for an island already that I'd like to add sometime in the story, at least to give this story some originality and shine.

- **5.)** Boa Hancock ….. Bah I might possibly change this if / when I get to it, but maybe not. I have a hard time writing romances. I might leave it, maybe I'll make it so that Luffy never goes to Amazon lily in the first place (Evil laugh) but maybe I'll keep it the same. IDK too many maybes.

**(Arc 1) Childhood**

BANG! - [Sound]

"_Perhaps I should've..."_ - [Thought/Thinking]

============================[o **End of Author's Note** o]=========================

* * *

><p>A loud bang suddenly echoed throughout the bar, causing everyone inside to become completely silent as a small gang of men marched in through the door, most clad in white uniforms, with an odd man wearing a brown trench coat leading the way. He had dark black hair with a goatee and a black fuzz covering his upper lip. The man also had slitted eyes and wore a golden necklace.<p>

"So this is what passes for pirates these day huh, pathetic" the lead man spoke with contempt in his voice.

"Welcome gentleman." Makino spoke in a polite tone, "What can I get for you?"

"We're mountain bandits, don't worry however, we won't destroy your place. All we need is a few barrels of sake and we won't cause any trouble." The large man said

"I'm sorry but whatever sake I had left in stock is all out there." Makino responded politely. The bandit however wasn't convinced and scoffed a little at Makino.

Shanks looked up from his meal, his usual calmness unchanged, "Sorry guys, looks like me and my men drank all the alcohol, but..." Shanks held up a bottle of sake, "You can have this if you want. It hasn't even been opened yet so go ahead."

The bandit reached up with an open hand, seemingly intent to take the offered bottle, when his hand clenched into a fist and shattered the bottle to pieces, spilling the contents all over the red-haired pirate.

"Do you take me for a fool! I'm a wanted man, worth 8 million beli. A single bottle won't be enough for even me, much less my men." The large man shrugged.

Shanks however, remained silent and unflinching at the large amount of sake soaking his clothes.

"Uh huh, now the floor is all wet. I'm sorry Makino." Shanks said apologetically as he hurriedly began gathering up the mess.

"No worries, I'll get a broom." Makino rushed around the bar to the closet where she kept the broom, when she heard a loud crash.

The contents of the various drinks spilled onto the floor and the dishes laid cracked at the end of the bar counter, slashed by the bandit's sword. Shanks sat up against the broken counter, still dripping with sake, while the man sheathed his sword.

"Since you like cleaning things up so much, you should enjoy this even more." mocked the bandit, before turning around. "Lets go. There is no use being here if they don't have any sake." the man said and walking out the swinging door, followed by the rest of the men.

Luffy sat at the bar, seething with anger, while the bar remained as silent as a graveyard.

Makino kneeled beside Shanks, who still sat at the foot of a bar stool. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Makino questioned worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He waved off in a carefree manner. For a second, the bar maintained complete silence, the only sound being the squeaking of the lone door hinges. Than the laughter started, followed by jeering and the sound of more drinking. Shanks loosed a wide grin before also breaking out laughing while Makino wiped the sake off his drenched shirt.

"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING! THAT WASN'T COOL! WHY DIDN'T YOU FIGHT BACK!" Luffy resounded angrily, bringing the loud laughter to a stop once more. Luffy shouted, his voice carrying over the entire bar. Shanks only stared at Luffy, his face unreadable.

"Its not that I don't understand your feelings, but they only spilled a bit of sake. It isn't worth getting angry about." Shanks calmly said, his demeanor unchanged.

"I don't care anymore!" Luffy turned back to face the bar counter, his upper lip quivering as he did so. Just as he was about to sit down once more, Luffy's gaze caught something else siting in a chest a few inches from him. Much to Luffy's surprise, it was a moderately sized round fruit. It was bluish in color, but what surprised Luffy were the squiggle S designs on the fruit. They were just like the designs on the fruit that he'd found.

Curiously, he picked the fruit up and looked at it for a second. Besides the shape of it, the designs were almost completely the same. Questions overwhelmed Luffy. Would he gain another power if he ate another fruit? What would he get if he ate this one?

Luffy opened his mouth to take a bite, his jaw clamping down to rip off a piece.

Shanks adjusted the his straw-hat while Makino meticulously wiped the spilled sake off his shirt. For a second, Shank's eyes wandered back to Luffy sitting at the bar. It was at that moment that he saw Luffy holding the Gomu Gomu no Mi on the bar counter and his jaw clamping down to take a bite.

Shanks reacted with great speed, jumping to his feet and snatching the fruit from Luffy's grasp, just as his jaw shut all the way down.

Luffy, puzzled at the disappearance, paused before looking to his left at Shanks who clenched the fruit in his right hand tightly.

"NO LUFFY! You can't eat this!" Shanks yelled loudly while Luffy just stared at him.

"Why?" Luffy said, his wide eyes blinking.

"This is the Gomu Gomu no Mi, also known as a Devil's fruit. One bite and your body would've become rubber but you would've never been able to swim again." Shanks scolded Luffy.

"Yeah so?" Luffy replied, causing Shanks to pause and blink for a second. "I've eaten one of those fruits already. I just wanted to see if it would give me another cool power like the first one did!" Luffy said with excitement evident.

Shanks remained silent, lost for words. To say he was taken by surprise would be an understatement. Most people in East Blue have only heard rumors about Devil Fruits, yet here was a kid who was not only not surprised by it, but even admitted that he'd eaten a Devil Fruit before. "How did Luffy manage to eat one?" Shanks thought for a moment.

Luffy looked at Shanks oddly before speaking, "Yeah, I found one on the beach after while I was in the forest with jii-chan." Luffy stared innocently while Shanks sweated a little bit.

"No no no, that's impossible. Devil Fruits aren't native in East Blue or any Blue, they're usually found in the Grand line. Finding one on a random beach in East Blue is impossible." Shanks said disbelievingly as his eyes closed. "You couldn't possibly have found one here, we even had to fight a whole lot just to find this one." Shanks turned to the rest of the pirates that occupied the bar, who were also stunned at Luffy's remark and passive response.

Luffy didn't flinch though, "Its true, it had the same swirly marks as that one and it even looked a lot like it. When I fought jii-chan, I also made sparks come out of my hands. Watch." Luffy concentrated a little bit, before his hands suddenly sparked and his hands were soon engulfed in blue colored electricity.

Everyone, with the exception of Luffy, suddenly jaw dropped while their eyes faded in complete and total disbelief. Even Shanks was left completely lost for words.

It seemed impossible, yet here it was, right in front of them. Shanks eyes receded while the electricity danced around Luffy's right hand, before coming to a stop.

For a while, the bar was silent before the mutterings started. "..Unbelievable..", "H-How did he..?", and "W-W-What the heck..?" came as some of the most common. Luffy kept his eyes focused on Shanks, "So, Shanks...Can I join your pirate crew?" Luffy asked excitedly.

Shanks still stood in shock for a second before sitting down and pulling the rim of his straw-hat over his eyes for a moment. "Luffy...Its true that you've surprised me here, but being a pirate is very dangerous. Even with your powers, you'd still be in constant danger. In fact, your powers might even put you in more danger. You don't have any more control over your powers than that right? Unskilled Devil Fruit users are usually picked off first since they can't fully control their power. That or worse.." Shanks spoke solemnly, before being interrupted.

"Then I'll get stronger! I'll get better with handling it and then.." Luffy's brief hope was crushed when a loud crash from Shanks smashing a fist into the bar counter interrupted him.

"Luffy...there are times when raw strength just isn't enough. You can be as powerful as you want, but there are enemies that you just can't beat with just brute force." Shanks said calmly, with a gentle smile, before setting his hand over Luffy's head, "Don't worry, You'll understand someday...Luffy." Shanks spoke reverently, with both pride and worry.

Luffy looked up at Shanks, standing proudly, and Luffy couldn't help but feel a little bit of awe. It was only a second later that Luffy pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, as Shanks gave a warm-hearted smile and the shouting and chaos of the bar resumed.

* * *

><p>"DON'T MAKE FUN OF SHANKS AND HIS CREW, YOU MOUNTAIN MONKEY!" Luffy shouted at the large man, startling the group of bandits. Makino's bar suddenly became very quiet as the bandits looked up from their drinks to see a very angry Luffy.<p>

"SHANKS AND HIS CREW AREN'T COWARDS, YOU STUPID BANDITS" Luffy yelled angrily. Slowly, the man in the trench coat stood up and hastily walked over to Luffy. Enraged, Luffy jumped at the tall man, intent on a taking a large bite out of the man's arm. In mid-flight, the bandit swatted Luffy with his right arm and sent him flying over the bar and crashing through the wood of the recently repaired door.

Luffy yelled loudly, his head bouncing over the wood before landing face first in the dirt outside. The impact jarred him a little, but it was nothing that Luffy wasn't used to. He slowly started to get up, barely phased, when he was suddenly grabbed from behind.

The large bandit and several of the other bandits exited the bar, and one had seized Luffy by his shirt neck.

Luffy began struggling violently against the bandit's grasp, but to no avail. Luffy soon found himself facing the large bandit with the brown trench coat.

"What a hopeless little kid." The tall man wistfully drew the cutlass sword from the scabbard that hung by his hip under his trench coat and held it outstretched at Luffy's neck.

"You know I can't let anyone who's pissed me off live. Too bad for you, little brat." said Higuma in a slightly somber tone.

Luffy continued to struggle against the grip of the bandit and being rewarded with several punches to the gut for his trouble. Luffy hung for a second as the man drew back the blade from Luffy's neck. Still struggling, Luffy wriggled and wretched in the bandit's grasp until he reached behind and grabbed the hand of the bandit holding his shirt collar.

Higuma began to bring the sword around, in a slicing arc, when something happened that surprised him. The bandit holding the brat by the collar suddenly started shaking wildly and screaming from what appeared to be electricity coming from the brat's fingers, which were now emitting a large amount of sparks.

The shocks lasted a second or two before stopping, leaving the bandit burnt and semi-conscious. Luffy removed his hands and fell while the bandit slumped to the ground, out like a light.

Higuma had always heard of the numerous legends that surrounded devil fruits, but Higuma wasn't a bandit to believe in rumors and legends, he always dismissed them as foolish gossip and old stories. What he'd just witnessed however, was enough to convince him that the rumors weren't just meaningless gospel.

Luffy stood facing the bandit, his fists now actively emitting sparks while the awestruck bandits encircling the two looked on with faces of disbelief. Higuma maintained his composure, dropping his arm back to his side.

Without warning, Higuma began to laugh.

"Oh this is just rich! A little kid with the power of the devil fruit!" Higuma said between bursts of laughter.

"Hey! Stop laughing! Whats so funny?" Luffy questioned at the laughing bandit.

Higuma seemingly started to regain control, "I'll tell you whats so funny, finding a little squirt like you with a devil fruit power. I don't know whether this is pure luck or dumb coincidence." Higuma broke from his laughter and nodded his head slightly at a nearby bandit.

"You wanna learn something kid? Devil fruits are dangerous. I even met a few who have powers just like yours." Higuma said

"Really?" Luffy's head fell a little bit as he said it

"Really, they were really strong." Higuma praised, "But there was always one thing about them.." Higuma glanced maliciously over at the bandit who now carried a small bucket full of water.

Luffy saw the glance however and quickly turned toward it, but he was too late. He was soon completely drenched from head to toe in water from the well. Luffy sputtered and spat while Higuma resumed laughing.

"They couldn't use their powers while they were wet!" Higuma laughed while Luffy began struggling again from the grasp of the bandit.

Luffy kicked and struggled against the binding grip, but to no avail. A swift punch struck him hard in the stomach, driving the wind from his lungs and making his body go limp. He was then thrown roughly onto the ground against the well.

Higuma held his sword to Luffy's neck once more while holding him down with his boot and prepared to kill him.

"Shame I have to kill you kid, but I don't let anyone piss me off and live." Higuma said.

Luffy felt the blade brush against his neck, as Higuma prepared to bring the blade down in a chopping arc.

"WAIT A MINUTE!" A voice cried from behind them. The bandits turned around casually to find the an old man, dressed in a yellow t-shirt and striped pants carrying a cane followed by the young bar maid from the tavern. Both also seemed to be out of breath.

"Don't hurt that kid! I don't know what he did to you, but please let him go! We'll even pay you, so I beg you, please." Astonishingly to Luffy, the mayor than bowed on the ground, his knees and face both on the ground.

Higuma turned his gaze to the old man and turned back, paying little heed to the old man. "Your kind always know what to say, but not this time. I'm not one to let people off just because they're kids or for money."

Pinned down by the weight of the bandit, Luffy could only struggle against the boot and throw insults at the large man.

The mayor of Fushia village looked on, begging for the man to let Luffy go, when another voice spoke.

"I wondered why no one was at the bar. If it isn't the bandit from before."

Everyone was surprised to find the large group of pirates standing proudly behind them, led by the red-haired pirate from before, wearing wide smile.

"Luffy, I thought your punch was as powerful as a pistol."

Luffy shouted at Shanks to be quiet. The large bandit however, glanced at Shanks from his peripheral vision, before another in the group stepped up and placed a gun to the pirate's head.

"This pistol isn't a toy, someone could get hurt." Shanks lightly tutted to the bandit. Before the bandit could think much on it however, a gunshot sounded, causing the bandit to drop to the ground, lifeless.

The bandits sweated in shock as a brief silence overcame the moment. The bandits began crying foul while the pirates stood proudly.

"Unfair? You're not fighting against holy men. No, We are pirates." The pirates said. Feeling threatened, the bandits backed up nervously.

"Listen closely bandits. I can have food and drink spilled all over me or even spat at and I'll laugh about it. However..." Shanks's tone shifted suddenly from calm to outrage, "I will never forgive anyone who hurts a friend of mine, for any reason whatsoever."

Higuma laughed loudly before loudly ordering the bandits to kill them. The bandits let loose a loud outcry before charging straight at them.

"I'll handle it. I'm more than enough." The man standing right behind Shanks said then proceeded to calmly walk forward and draw the rifle that holstered by his side. Swinging it in a large arc, he then beat down the white-clad men with casual ease. "If you want to fight us, than I suggest you bring a battleship next time." the man proudly declared, aiming the long rifle at the now alone Higuma.

Luffy marveled at his strength while Higuma began breaking out in a cold sweat, asking to talk

"Isn't there a bounty on your head." Shanks said with haste before Higuma, sweating profusely, withdrew a smoke bomb from within his jacket and vanished. When the smoke cleared, both Luffy and Higuma were nowhere to be seen.

"Luffy!" Shanks cried out before panicking. "Shit! He took Luffy! What should we do everyone!"

While Lucky Roo calmed Shanks down, the man known as Benn Beckman let out a large sigh.

* * *

><p>The world seemed to slow down as Higuma casually tossed Luffy into the ocean. Luffy, still too wet to emit any electricity and powerless to do anything splashed into the water and immediately started drowning. Higuma laughed loudly at the young boy's cries for help until a large shadow overhead gave him pause.<p>

A large shriek was all that Higuma had time to do before he vanished into the beast's giant maw along with the small boat. Luffy wildly thrashed about in the water, crying out for help in a garbled voice but the sea king raced at Luffy, preparing to swallow him whole.

Luffy yelled out in fear before he was pushed aside from the bite and held inside the ensuing wave. Luffy remained in shocked silence as he turned his head to see Shanks held in the current with him.

The large sea king surfaced soon after before it was bombarded with an overwhelming force. For a moment, the sea king was lost in the eyes of the red-haired man, feeling the power emit from him caused the beast to break out in a cold sweat. As soon as it subsided a little, the beast dove underwater and swam away.

"Thank you Luffy, I owe you one. Makino told me everything. You stood up to them for us."

Luffy held in tears, shakily gripping Shanks while he stroked his hand through Luffy's hair.

"Hey, don' cry. You're a grown-up"

"But …. Shanks …. Your arm!"

Luffy cried out. Shank's coat was ripped at just below his left shoulder, revealing the missing arm. Blood poured from the wound and was quickly washed away with the tide.

"Its just an arm, you don't need to worry." Shanks said warmly, while tears began falling down Luffy's eyes and grief and sadness overcome the young boy.

* * *

><p>The day soon came when it was time for the crew to depart. Luffy stood on the docks as they loaded various supplies onto the ship. After a little taunting from Shanks, Luffy began a loud outburst.<p>

"NO MATTER WHAT, I WILL BECOME THE PIRATE KING!" Luffy shouted at Shanks and the Red-Haired pirates while they watched from the docks with boxes of supplies.

Shanks smiled lightly and took off his favorite straw hat before proudly placing it on Luffy's head. "I'll let you look after this hat. Its my favorite and very important."

Luffy's eyes dripped with tears for a few seconds while they finished loading the supplies and moved to stand with the rest of the townspeople who took part to wave good-bye.

Luffy grasped Shanks' straw hat shakily and watched as the ship faded into the distance.

_"Some day... return it to me ... as a great pirate. Its a promise ... Luffy"_

* * *

><p><em>A few days later ...<em>

Luffy was running an errand for Makino in the middle of town when a large hand suddenly grabbed him by the throat and constricted around in a rough manner, though leaving enough room for him to breath a little.

Luffy struggled a little bit before he looked up and a hoarse voice spoke

"Been getting a little too comfortable have you ... Luffy" the voice said

Luffy stared up into the large grinning face of his grandpa, Monkey D. Garp. A cold sweat suddenly dropped down Luffy's forehead while Garp gripped him tightly by his neck. He was wearing a black outfit rather than his usual one and the vice-grip seemed to be tighter than Garp usually held him with.

"Luffy, it seems that I won't be able to train you into a fine marine myself. It seems Sengoku won't allow me to take time off and won't buy anything I say to him as well as keeps sticking me with the marine policy to "Leave all family at home." as his main reason. So I've decided to leave you with a friend of mine." Garp said before turning around and walking down the middle road of town with a struggling Luffy held firmly in his hand and the townspeople giving him a wide berth.

Just as Garp was about to set out for Mt. Corvo, he suddenly stopped in mid-step and his jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Oh, thats right, I forgot." Garp said in surprise. Luffy ceased struggling when he heard this and felt Garp turn the other direction and walk down the path for a few minutes until they reached a very familiar tree.

The very sight of the tree caused Luffy to suddenly start struggling harder.

"I need to ensure that you don't start slacking off. Luffy... You must become one of the greatest marines ever. To do that, you'll need to build endurance" Garp cracked his knuckles while Luffy struggled against the rope that now kept him tied by his waist to the hanging branch. "And I know just the perfect way to build it."

"I don't want to be a marine, I want to be a pirate. Like Shanks, and become the Pirate King." Luffy argued while still struggling to get free of the ropes.

Garp's face began to turn an inexplicable shade of red. "Pirate King! Shanks! YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!"

Luffy gritted his teeth as Garp wound his fist up and threw punches in rapid succession. Even though he was tempted to do so by Garp, every time Luffy was threatened to by Garp, he never said he would give up on being the Pirate King, though suffering quite a lot more for each remark.

* * *

><p>Garp walked down the path on Mt. Corvo with an unconscious Luffy hanging by his shirt in Garp's fist and covered in bruises and blood.<p>

* * *

><p>Yes! This chapter is done! This was one of the most boring chapters I've had to write so far. I actually put in the last part just to get my feeling back for being creative. I procrastinated a lot just because this chapter was so boring and I was forced to be unoriginal and lackluster in order to keep Luffy's personality the same. I hope you enjoy it though and give me plenty of feedback, whether critical or praise. This next part should come in quicker since I'm going to be a little more creative and you will start to see Luffy's powers develop more. Now that the entire childhood arc between ASL is finally finished in the anime, I have a clearer picture about what I'm going to do.<p>

Garp will continue to beat up on Luffy, he beats up ASL a lot in the anime anyways, so I take it he has no qualms hurting children more than usual parents. I also don't know why he left Ace and Luffy with Dadan, but I'm guessing here. His laid-back manner that he left them suggests an adversion to take responsibility, but he trained Coby and Helmeppo with some enthusiasm so that suggest that isn't the case. Its difficult to say.


	4. Childhood Part 2

_**Chapter 4 – [Childhood : Part 2]**_

============================[o **Author's Notes** o]==============================

Thanks for the feedback that I've gotten. I admit that the last chapter was boring, but I found that it was necessary if I'm to keep Luffy's personality the same, if not with a few differences.

One Review got my attention however, by Dark Skeleton and has made me question a prior decision I made. It will mean a longer wait till the East Blue Saga though.

The question was finally rose about what my plan for Eneru is, he will be completely different, that is all I will say. The Gomu Gomu no Mi will come into play, but that is an issue I have planned for the far-off future.

**(Arc 1) Childhood**

BANG! - [Sound]

"_Perhaps I should've..."_ - [Thought/Thinking]

============================[o **End of Author's Note** o]=========================

They traipsed through the thickets and groves of Mt. Corvo. Garp held Luffy by the scruff of his dark blue 56 sleeve-less t-shirt while Luffy continued to grunt and struggle. He occasionally would try to shock Garp by reaching to grab Garp's hand, but Garp immediately saw it each time and slapped it away before rewarding him with another sore bump on his head.

Luffy continued to struggle for most of the way, biting and gripping various objects in attempts to free himself but to little or no success. Try as he might to channel the electricity through his shirt, but couldn't from anywhere but his hands.

"Let me go, Jii-chan!" Luffy would cry out as he hung awkwardly by his shirt. "I promised Shanks that I would be the King of the Pirates."

"Cut it with the Pirate Crap." Garp rebuffed Luffy while they continued up the trail.

"On top of eating a Logia-Type devil fruit, you talk nonsense." Garp acclaimed loudly, "Luffy, I won't allow you to become a pirate. You must become the STRONGEST NAVY MARINE! Befriending that Red-Hair …. Bah, you idiot."

The rant eventually died down once Luffy stopped struggling but he still hung by his shirt uncomfortably. The air soon became quiet as they walked through Mt. Corvo.

"You'll be staying with a friend for a little while and I'll be back when I can to check on you regularly and pick you up when its time..." Garp trailed off, leaving Luffy puzzled while he stared up at his grandfather.

"Time? Time for what?" Luffy questioned though Garp turned his head in the other direction and seemed to be thinking heavily.

"Well …" Garp began very hesitantly, before his expression and tone changed, "Oh, I forgot to tell you Luffy." Garp suddenly shifted in tone and looked down into the baffled face of Luffy.

"There is someone else that will be staying with you while you're there. She was a very good person the last time I saw her so the two of you should get along well, after all, she's your adopted sister so be a good boy."

"Sister?" Luffy asked questioningly to himself.

They walked until they came to a large wooden house. Luffy stayed behind while Garp knocked on the door. "Hello! Dadan!" Garp shouted while Luffy examined the poorly-built shack.

"What is this place?" Luffy said before running around to explore a little.

The door suddenly burst open with a loud yell, as the very angry Dadan slammed the door open in rage, before a very scary mean glare from Garp silenced her.

"G-Garp-san!" Dadan reeled back in fright as Dogra and Magra emerged from the curtain door also in a frightened state.

"You're looking rather well." Garp commented casually

"Give me a break! Please have mercy on me! That devil of a child Ana is 10 years old already." Dadan pleaded desperately while Dogra attempted to reason with Garp.

"Putting that aside.." Garp began to say, prompting an angry response from Dogra. Dadan continued to watch Luffy chase a dragonfly before yelling at him. Garp grabbed the back of the neck of Luffy's shirt and held him up high.

"Look after him for awhile too." Garp said nonchalantly with Luffy dangling in his left hand. Dadan and both Magra and Dogra were left silent.

"Luffy, say hello." Garp prompted, earning a quick "Yo!" from Luffy.

"Who is that kid?" Magra asked silently. His answer was probably both the least expected and the least welcomed. "He is my grandson." Garp answered. A brief moment of silence ensued before all 3 bandits burst out with loud shouts and howls of surprise.

"We cannot take him!" All 3 sternly replied at the same time. Garp stood in front of them with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

All 3 broke out in a cold sweat as Garp used his own methods of persuasion.

Meanwhile, The dragonfly teetered and tottered along in the wind while Luffy gave chase. A subtle giggling noise from the forest a short distance away broke his carefree chase and he stopped in his tracks to stare at what seemed to be the source of the noise.

Shadowed underneath the trees, Luffy spotted a small girl. She sat on top of a large animal, carrying a long pole and was dressed in a sleeve-less orange shirt and yellow skirt. Her face was slightly obscured by the shadow of the trees towering above her.

Garp momentarily ceased his torture of Dadan, Magra, and Dogra and turned to politely greet the young girl.

"Ana!" Garp politely exclaimed and walked over. "Luffy, this is Ana. She's 3 years older than you. You'll be living with them from now on."

Dadan angrily stood up to protest, but Garp silenced them all with a deathly leer.

"We'll take him." All of them said simultaneously. "Good." Garp said politely before walking up to them as they stood upright. Much to their surprise, he than leaned over and began whispering to Dadan behind his left hand.

"Don't tell Luffy this, but I'm thinking of only leaving him here for 3 years." Garp whispered to Dadan quietly. Dadan was greatly surprised by this and wanted to inquire further but waited patiently while Garp continued. "I'll be back to pick him up than." Garp lowered his hand and began to stride away before he felt Dadan put a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Hold on a second, why only 3 years? We've raised Ana for a lot longer than that, so why can't you take her with you?" Dadan pleaded, hoping for a desperately needed reprieve from dealing with numerous traps and falls of raising the child of the devil himself.

Garp turned around and began whispering again, "I'm not at liberty to discuss it, but its something that could change everything. I can hardly get off from work with Sengoku though and Luffy needs to find his own way and gain experience and strength. I'm leaving it up to you to just watch over him until he's grown up enough. I'll be back from time to time to check on him and see how he's progressing." Garp said in a hushed and covered voice Dadan before she relinquished her grip on Garp's shoulder and he walked down the road. Dadan however, let out a slight gasp at the old man as he walked back into the forest and seemingly reached out to speak again.

Garp began walking back into the forest before stopping once more and glancing over at Luffy before whispering at Dadan from the small distance. "Oh yes, Don't tell Luffy that I intend to pick him up in a few years." Garp hush whispered leaving Dadan even more stunned than before.

"W-Wait! Garp-san! W-What about contributing some child support for.." Dogra began to say before being interrupted, "Put it on my tab." he waved off care freely. "This isn't a bar!" Dogra angrily shouted as Garp walked off into the forest.

Luffy however stayed in a slight stupor for a few seconds until he blinked out of it and walked over to the young girl. "Hey!" Luffy said happily. The young girl was unresponsive and simply jumped down from the large animal and walked forward with her head kept low.

Luffy continued to advance cheerfully until she walked right past him. Luffy turned around, puzzled for a bit before following after her. "Hey! Ana!" Luffy continued to shout and run while Ana ran into the opposite side of the thickets in the woods.

Luffy gave chase to the young girl now introduced as Ana, running into the thick bushes. Ana moved fast through the passing trees nefarious bushes as Luffy persistently gave chase. A few minutes later into the chase, Luffy emerged at an empty clearing surrounded by tall trees. He was covered in scratches from numerous prickly bushes and dirty from several falls. Luffy panted a little as he scanned around, looking for Ana, but finding nobody in sight.

He continued to glance around the clearing, looking and listening for anything that might give him a hint to where she was or which direction she went.

He only had to scan a few seconds before he heard rustle in the bushes behind him. Luffy turned around and rushed for the bushes before pushing the thickets aside and gazing at what was also an empty space, save for a large rock that laid unevenly on the ground. Luffy scratched his head in confusion, before he felt a slim arm wrap around his head and clamp around his mouth before he could turn around.

Luffy was taken aback and struggled while letting out muffled yells and arm waves. He attempted to pull himself free, but the arms gripping him held him at an angle that made it impossible for him to do anything useful. He continued to struggle until the grip finally lessened a few minutes later. Luffy dropped to the ground and panted a second to breath in fresh air and turned his gaze upon the perpetrator, who was none other than Ana.

"Alright, first off; Don't follow me." Ana bluntly stated, "Its annoying if I have you tagging along for the ride and ." The girl said, standing straight up and seeming to be towering over Luffy. She wore plain blue jeans with a yellow sleeve-less blouse. Her face was slightly freckled and her short hair fell down just past her neck.

Luffy started to speak, "But..." "No buts. You can get lost in this forest and I'd hate to be responsible if something bad were to happen to you." A slightly evil look passed over her eyes briefly, though Luffy didn't notice it.

"But I just wanted to be friends..." Luffy said, only for Ana to giggle lightly. "I don't need friends. Go back to Dadan's cabin and stop following me, it'll be safer for you that way." Ana said firmly and started walking again towards the direction she'd been heading before. She was surprised however when she heard a loud voice from behind her.

"No, I won't go back." Luffy said out loud, causing Ana to turn around to stare at him briefly. She stared at him with an emotionless expression for a few seconds before turning back to the direction towards her destination.

"Suit yourself. But..." Ana said, bending down slightly to pick up a small rock. Luffy was a little confused at the cut-off sentence and got closer to look at what Ana was doing as she bent down a little. Ana mentally counted the amount of footsteps she heard and swiftly turned around and threw the rock she'd picked up to the near top of the closest tree.

Luffy stopped to gaze at the rock as it traveled upward and impacted a small bundle at the top. The rock had carried enough force to cause the bundle to sway a great deal. Luffy continued looking up as a the bundle suddenly dislodged itself and began falling straight at him.

Luffy continued to stare until the big object hit him straight in the face. At first, only the pain of being hit was evident, than a new pain joined in. Make that a dozen pains. Luffy yelped and began running in circles as a swarm of bees trailed around his head, stinging and biting him at every opportunity. While Luffy ran and screamed, Ana slipped into the jungle and was off again.

It was just the next day when another incident occurred between the two siblings.

* * *

><p>Luffy had been walking through the forest, looking for Ana again. He'd almost given up, until he spotted her walking across a bridge that spanned across a large valley far underneath.<p>

"Ana, lets become friends!" Luffy yelled and began crossing the bridge. Ana heard Luffy and turned around to see him walking cheerfully towards her across the bridge. Ana looked at him emptily before a wicked idea entered her mind. "Luffy!" She called out, causing Luffy to stop walking and smile at her widely.

Ana smiled widely as she used the pole she carried to wrack and shake the unstable bridge. Luffy hung on, wobbling from side to side and yelping with panic. The bridge shook for a few seconds before becoming still again, letting Luffy regain his balance.

Luffy wiped the sweat away and looked up again. To his surprise, Ana wasn't there. "Ana!" Luffy called and started to run to the other side of the bridge where she'd been. He ran across the rickety bridge, shaking a little with the stiff winds that blew across the valley. He kept running, until he felt a plank give way from under him.

Luffy fell through the bridge where the broken plank shattered beneath his weight, sending Luffy plummeting into the valley below. In the shadows across the bridge, Ana gave a sad smile before slipping back to the trail.

Luffy screamed loudly as he fell, the ground quickly growing closer. Reacting on his trained instinct, Luffy reached out and grabbed a lone branch that stuck out of the rock. The branch swayed a little bit before stabilizing allowing Luffy to breath easily and gazed downward. The ground was only a short distance away so Luffy dropped and landed soundly on his feet.

"Phew." Luffy rubbed the sweat from his brow and put on another large grin and adjusted the straw hat on his head as it had slanted a little to block out his vision. "That was a close one." Luffy proudly thanked as he lifted the hat a little. Luffy adjusted the hat, only to come face to face with a large pack of wolves surrounding him. Each seemed to be drooling with hunger.

"Hmph." Luffy sounded for a moment while he gazed for a second at the hungry wolves."Hyaaaaahh!" Luffy yelled and broke into a fast run, turning away and gunning for the only way that the wolves hadn't covered. The wolves immediately gave chase to the fleeing prey, their mouths drooling with ravenous hunger.

The chase didn't last long, Luffy turned every corner in the valley he could find with the wolves tailing not too far behind him. It wasn't long before he found himself at a dead end against a rocky wall. The wolves quickly closed in, surrounding the entirety of the small gorge, cutting off all routes of escape.

Luffy fell back, panic and fear setting in. The wolf in front of the pack calmly walked up, licking it's lips as it sensed the prey had run out of options and was eager to get the first taste. It's yellow eyes widened and it

With great stride, the large wolf broke out in a run and pounced into the air, bearing it's sharp claws and teeth. Luffy's eyes dribbled tears as he could only sit frozen in fear of the terrifying wolf. Without thinking, Luffy closed his eyes and outstretched his arms, in a futile shield from the attacker.

Something happened however. Luffy felt a jolt run through his hands just as he felt the soft fur of the wolf. Blue electricity shot through the wolf's body, more powerful than earlier. The wolf face-faulted as the electricity lit up its entire body, immobilizing it in Luffy's grasp. A couple of seconds later, the wolf slumped to the ground, burnt brown and defeated while the other wolves face-faulted.

Luffy opened his eyes after the attack he'd been expecting never came. The first thing he saw was the wolf, burnt brown. Luffy at first looked with a slight amount of confusion, before he glanced down at his hands. Blue electricity danced around them once more, just as it had done back in Fuschia Village, only this time was different. Before, it felt uncontrollable and Luffy could only draw random bursts of electricity periodically. This time, it felt right at his control. It felt like the sparks would work just as he wanted them to. He tried it for a second and pushed more electricity into his hands.

His hands lit up to be engulfed in a cover of blue electricity, sparking brightly. He lowered the charge a little, and the electricity responded to his will, no longer limited to mere random bursts of yellow electricity. The charge would respond directly to his whim.

Luffy clenched his fists and faced the still stunned wolves. Luffy took a step forward. Every wolf took a step backwards. Luffy smiled again, causing each wolf to shake in fear. Than Luffy said the two words that the wolves didn't want to hear. "Lunch Time!" Luffy said, causing each and every wolf to sweat profusely. The wolves swiftly turned tail and ran and Luffy gave chase.

"Wait!" Luffy called out. His body still sparked with numerous amounts of electricity. The wolves barely glanced back before speeding up to get away from the dangerous boy. Reacting only on instinct, Luffy increased the charge of the electricity to higher levels than before and reached out his hand.

Suddenly, a large blue bursting stream of electricity shot out from his hand at the fleeing wolves. Luffy stopped in his tracks as the pack glanced back and howled in fear at the ensuing blast before running faster. It was to no avail as almost the entire pack was engulfed in the ensuing blast, only a few jumping out of the way and dashing as fast as they could over the mountainous terrain. The blast exploded in a dispersion of electricity, leaving behind sparks in the air where the werewolves once ran. When the blast settled down, all of the wolves were burnt brown and their carcasses sparked with remaining volts of electricity.

Luffy stopped and gazed with awe. He brought his hands up and clenched his fingers a little, seeming to measure the amount of electricity that danced between his fingers. "Amazing." Luffy thoughtfully smiled, "Jii-chan was right ...this is.." Luffy stopped the thought when he looked up to see the burnt wolves lying in the ground and his stomach growled. "Hehehe." Luffy chuckled lightly with a big smile over his face and walked over to collect his supper.

By nightfall, Luffy laid back with a full stomach beside a large pile of bones. With a wistful gaze at the stars, Luffy lifted his hands off the ground and brought them to his face and let a few sparks to dance around them. Content and happy, Luffy drifted off into sleep.

Dadan sat quietly in her home, 4 days after Luffy had suddenly disappeared with no explanation. It was around mid-day, Ana was still gone and Dogra was out searching while Magra stayed back, having had no luck in locating the missing devil. Dadan smoked a charred cigarette, breathing in the tasty smoke when she heard Dogra yell, "Boss … Boss." Dogra yelled, gasping for breath. Dadan took out the cigarette and placed it down on the tray. "What is it! Spit it out!" Dadan ordered.

"Boss...Luffy is back!" Dogra said. "Heh?" Dadan shouted incredulously. In the other room, an awoken Ana rose from her bed when she heard the lout outcry and crept towards the door to peek outside. Much to Ana's shock, outside was a healthy Luffy, looking none the worse for intended wear. Ana immediately rushed to the front door, stealthily hiding behind the corner from the open door.

"You shit! You're alive!" Dadan exclaimed while Dogra and Magra looked on along with a couple bandits that had woken up because of the noise. "Luffy, where have you been! What have you been doing!" Dogra worriedly questioned.

"I was down in the valley with the wolves." Luffy said with a "hehehe" and a large smile. The mountain bandits looked at him with more worry on their faces. "Just what were you doing down there! And more importantly, how are you back here alive and uninjured?" Dogra questioned.

Luffy's brow sweat a little and he shut his eyes while he chuckled for a little, "Nothing." Luffy flatly said. Dogra moved to speak again, but Luffy hurried inside before they could and shut the door behind. Dadan yelled angrily at Luffy, only for Dogra to hush and calm her. "Boss, do you think this has anything to do with reason Garp is only leaving him here for 3 years?" Dogra asked calmly as Dadan's anger dissipated. "I'm sure it is! No 7 year old can be thrown into a valley of hungry wolves and come out unscathed within 4 days, even for Garp's grandson that's impossible!" Dadan angrily shouted before stomping back into the house.

Unbeknownst to them, Ana slipped back to bed, having evaded Luffy on his way in and overheard enough of the conversation. Back in the room, Luffy was already sound asleep on the floor.

* * *

><p><em>3 months passed<em>

Luffy chased after Ana everyday, though always losing her through a clever distraction and allowing her to slip away each time. Persistent as ever, Luffy continued undeterred.

Luffy used the stick to pull himself through another step in the long route that Ana had taken on the way. As he emerged from the dark forest, what greeted him was the sight of a rolling amount of debris and trash. It was a massive field filled to the brim with trash, more than Luffy had ever seen.

"Wow! What is this place?" Luffy said as he gazed at what seemed to be an endless sea of trash. Luffy hopped down from the edge of the small cliff and ran into the sea. "Ana!" Luffy shouted as he searched high and low within the sea.

Luffy searched around, scouring every spot he could but to no avail, until he was on top of a large pile of trash overseeing a large area. In the distance, Luffy spotted the retreating figure of Ana, though Luffy could still recognize the orange and yellow clothing she always wore. Luffy gave a large grin before chasing after her into the forest.

Luffy followed the path through until he came to a very large tree …. and spotted the colorfully clothed Ana sitting on top of a large branch. Luffy smiled brightly as he walked up and heard voices from the top.

"I wonder how much we need to buy a pirate ship." Luffy heard. With childish glee, Luffy waved his arms up at the source and shouted.

"Pirate Ship!" Luffy said loudly, causing the two on top to pause and sweat as they looked down at the source of the noise.

* * *

><p>Ana and Sabo tossed the newly collected treasure into the secret compartment in the tree branch where they stored the "pirate savings". It had been 5 years since they'd begun collecting various treasure from the Grey Terminal, through theft and various other methods with the goal of finally being able to buy a pirate ship.<p>

"We'll leave East Blue and go places that the people here would never dream of." Sabo wistfully looked out towards the nearby sea.

"It will be nice, but we've still got a long way to go. Who knows how much money we'll need." Ana than gave a beaming smile, "I'd like to see new islands and finally get away from this place." the tomboyish Ana said. Her face was freckled and her eyes were a muddy brown. Her slightly purple-colored hair was a mess, dropping down past her ears already even at such a young age.

"Its exciting just thinking about it! I wonder how much we need to buy a pirate ship?" Sabo questioned as he and Ana gazed out towards the sea. Their reverie was short-lived however, when a loud voice broke the tranquil silence.

"Pirate Ship!" Startled, Sabo slammed the compartment shut in a hurry and they both gazed down at the source of the voice. "Are you guys gonna become Pirates!" Luffy shouted up the tree, "I'm gonna become a pirate too! Hey!" Luffy yelled as loud as he could up at the two figures sitting in the tree.

Both of them sweated profusely and they looked at each other and nodded, understanding passing between them without words before they scrambled down the tree at a rapid pace to reach the bottom. In fits of both anger and fear, Luffy felt two blows to his head that drove him into the ground.

A minute or so later, Luffy found himself tied to a tree with both Ana and another person wearing a blue overcoat and black hat standing before him. Childishly inquisitive as Luffy was, he felt the urge to question the two of them.

"So this is the empty-headed kid that you said was always following you Ana." Sabo stated with resentment aimed at the small kid.

"Heh, Ana you told him about me." Luffy asked to which Ana responded with the same amount of resentment as Sabo, "I told him what a big pain you are and how I couldn't get you to stop following me." Ana replied loathsomely. "She also said that you're a crybaby, yet you somehow managed to get out of a valley of wolves unharmed." Sabo added with a small amount of intrigue in the fact. How the brainless kid in front of him managed to escape the fall to the valley inhabited by hungry wolves was beyond him.

Luffy laughed lightheartedly. "Jii-chan used to throw me into ravines when I was younger and..." Luffy said before he was interrupted, "Garp's training is always that way." Ana retorted before turning back to Sabo. "It doesn't matter how he escaped. What matters now is that if we let him go, than he'll tell others about the stash." Ana banged the pole staff she held against the ground.

"What should we do than?" Ana asked Sabo just as the wind started to blow. "I guess we don't have any other choice." Sabo said.

"You're right, he'll tell someone if nothing is done." Ana said while staring into the wide smile of Luffy. "We'll have to kill him." Ana said darkly, with a quick nod from Sabo sealing Luffy's fate. Luffy's eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open as panic set in.

"WHAT!" Luffy screamed, "DON'T KILL ME I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Ana and Sabo flinched for a second before both attempted to silence the young kid. "Sabo you do it this time!" Ana said while the young Luffy continued to scream. "What! You do it! You've done it before!" Sabo replied loudly. "THAT WAS A RAPIST, I'VE NEVER KILLED A KID BEFORE!" Ana defensively replied. "NEITHER HAVE I, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW AND YOU DO!" Sabo yelled loudly at Ana.

Luffy continued to yell loudly in a state of utter and complete panic, while just outside the forest, a large man and a small group of 3 others walked towards the source of the noise. Inside the forest, Ana, Sabo, and Luffy heard them and immediately went silent.

Porchemy and the 3 men walked into the forest, intent on recapturing the money that was stolen from them. "If Bluejam finds out about this, than he's going to kill all out of us." Porchemy said with anger and a hint of fear as they traipsed through the open forest towards where they'd seen the young kid run off with the money.

The three of them knelt behind the bushes as the group of men walked by, fearing what would happen if they were discovered by Porchemy. Ana started to have regrets about taking the money from the thugs outside the Grey Terminal.

"Lets just wait for them to pass..." Ana said just as Sabo glanced over to his side. "Hey, where did he go?" Sabo inquired when a loud voice got all of their attention.

"HEY!" a loud shout broke the tension in the air. The small group of invaders turned to face the source, along with Sabo and Ana who remained hidden. Much to Sabo and Ana's shock, standing a few feet away was Luffy.

"Hmm. Who're you?" The large man asked. It surprised Porchemy however to see only a kid standing before him. Even the others were taken aback as well by the appearance of the small kid who would have the nerve to address Porchemy.

The kid didn't seem nervous despite Porchemy's intimidating size however. The thugs almost felt sorry for the kid, until he committed suicide right in front of them.

"GO AWAY, YOU OVERGROWN MONKEY!" Luffy yelled loudly at the large man. All 3 men that stood by Porchemy jaw-dropped. It was official that the kid was crazy. No one ever insulted Porchemy, those who did were doomed to have their scalps peeled off of them.

"Monkey.." Porchemy said angrily, brandishing the large sword he carried. "You'll regret that...You little shit." Porchemy held the sword and angrily rushed at Luffy.

Ana and Sabo watched with beads of sweat dripping down their foreheads. Porchemy held the sword high above Luffy's head and yelled in rage as he brought it swinging downward to cut Luffy in half.

Than something happened. Just as Porchemy brought the sword swinging down on top of him, Luffy's fist seemed to spark before it was covered in a blue shaded electricity. Sparks danced all around his right hand and only seemed to grow brighter each second.

Working on the experience he'd gotten frying wolves in the valley, Luffy swung his hand forward, unleashing the large beam of electricity he'd charged. Porchemy was soon fully engulfed in the large wave, along with the others with him as they stood, too afraid and shocked to move.

Ana and Sabo also sat with their mouths agape, speechless. The burst enveloped Porchemy and all of the thugs with him before traveling towards the large tree in the back before exploding in a burst of raw electricity. When it was over, Porchemy and the 3 thugs laid burnt black while lingering amounts of electricity sparked in the air.

Ana and Sabo were at too much of a loss for words to speak. Luffy turned back toward the two and grinned.

* * *

><p>All righty, I'm done. I know its been awhile, but I've been busy. Making Ace a girl was also not in the new plan I'd constructed, but I decided it would make for a nice change of pace and a mix to the story.<p>

If Ace had been a girl, he would've been named Anne, but I didn't like Anne, so I shortened it to Ana. There were also a few other reasons but those are for later chapters.

I don't expect this decision to be popular. Its an idea I wanted to attempt, if it goes over well than great. All will be revealed in the next chapter and we can finally get on to the good stuff. I'll be stuffing the rest of the childhood into one chapter. I'll get to it as soon as possible, I'm starting my first year of college soon so maybe I can get it before the 22nd if I hanker down.


	5. Childhood Part 3

_**Chapter 5 – [Childhood : Part 3]**_

============================[o **Author's Notes** o]==============================

Okay, I've had this debate with myself countless times. If I'm following One Piece Logic, than you're probably right. I've decided on this. At an inexperienced state, all water will hinder electricity-generation greatly. As Luffy becomes more experienced, it will hinder him less and less. I haven't decided if he can still use the Logia defense while wet. It seems odd to me but I'll come to a decision sometime, by the time Luffy gets to the point of transforming into electricity though that won't be for awhile.

**A note on pairings**: Luffy will not be paired with Ana. Luffy will not be paired with anybody. I know romances make some stories, but I think that any pairing will ruin THIS story since this isn't a romance. This is a story that is trying to explore Luffy having a more powerful fruit with some inventive ideas and without overpowering him, what it would be like if Luffy ate the Goro Goro no Mi. On top of that, I really can't see Luffy falling in love with anybody. I know this is fanfiction and if you look at my favorite stories, I enjoy reading some romance stories, but this story isn't for romance.

**(Arc 1) Childhood**

BANG! - [Sound]

"_Perhaps I should've..."_ - [Thought/Thinking]

============================[o **End of Author's Note** o]=========================

The devastation caused by the large blast was immense. The destruction continued into the forest where the blast had cleared a small path of broken trees a few meters in. Luffy's hand and body continued to radiate random sparks around him as the discharge started to dissipate. Lying face-down on the road a few feet from Luffy however were the burnt bodies of Porchemy and the 3 thugs.

Ana and Sabo stared from behind the bushes at the mess that the blast had caused with their mouths agape, slowly moving their gazes back and forth between Luffy and the large mess in front of him. Both were too shocked to say anything.

Luffy held his sparking hand out and turned around toward where Sabo and Ana crouched. Luffy smiled and began waving his hand at the two

"HEY..ANA!" Luffy started to sprint towards the bushes where Ana and Sabo were crouched before stopping abruptly as a new voice was soon heard just outside the forest entrance. Both Ana and Sabo snapped out of their stunned stupor to listen carefully.

"Hurry up! I saw it this way." a loud deep voice was yelled loudly, seemingly ushering along others with him. "Alright already, we're coming!" a deep and obviously irritated voice responded. "Man Gall, Are you sure you saw something all the way out here!"

"YEH, I'm syure!" The man slurred a little.

"Not Good, lets go." Sabo said, rapidly fleeing back into the jungle, followed by Luffy and Ana. They ran for several miles, traipsing over rocks and wilderness. Luffy always struggled behind them, but Ana and Sabo kept running through the maze of trees and vines.

They reached a river a few miles in, having run at a fast enough pace to even wind both Sabo and Ana for a second. Luffy lied collapsed on his back, panting heavily. Ana and Sabo only paused a moment to breath.

"Alright, we should be safe here." Both Ana and Sabo nodded their heads agreeably, before shifting their heads to the side where Luffy laid panting on the ground. Exhausted from the long run, Luffy continued to pant for a few more moments. When the feeling of exhaustion passed, Luffy opened his eyes to see Ana and Sabo standing over him, both of them with their arms crossed over their chests. Luffy blinked for a second, confused.

"Alright, spill the beans now." Sabo said commandingly. Luffy sat up and crossed his legs. "Huh?" Luffy sighed.

"Don't play games Luffy." Ana interjected as Luffy stared up at them. Both hadn't expected the spectacle that Luffy had just delivered.

Still more than a little peeved, Sabo looked to Ana.

" Did you know about this Ana?" Sabo asked accusingly. "Of course not! I'm as surprised as you are! Although..." Ana stopped to think for a second, "I was wondering how he got out of that valley of wolves I tossed him into a few months ago without a scratch." Ana remembered back to the night that Luffy had come back to Dadan's house with not a single injury on him. "And there was also that incident where I led him into a snake pit and also when he..." Ana trailed off.

"Wasn't it obvious enough for someone like Luffy to come out of all those incidents unscathed?" Sabo blanched as he spoke. "I just thought it was dumb luck! Forgive me if I don't immediately suspect something like this!" Ana angrily shouted at Sabo, who sweat-dropped before giving in.

"Alright Alright, I see your point." Sabo passively answered, before turning back to the quiet Luffy.

"Still...I didn't expect that Luffy had eaten a Devil Fruit. There are plenty of myths about them, but I didn't expect that they were real or that I'd find someone who'd eaten one so soon, especially one that can blow off that much power. Which fruit did you eat anyways?" Sabo asked to the patiently sitting Luffy. Both leveled their gaze once more to him. Luffy just stared straight up at the both of them with his usual smile on, apparently happy that he'd done something to gain as much attention from them.

"The Goro Goro no Mi." Luffy answered happily. Luffy bounced up and held out his hand. A few sparks appeared and began to dance around Luffy's hand, "I can make that really cool beam come out and make sparks." Luffy said, showing the dancing sparks emit from his palm. Ana and Sabo both studied the sparks with intensity and awe.

"So its an electricity-generating fruit?" Sabo asked to which Luffy promptly responded, "Yeah".

"Ahhh..." Both Sabo and Ana mouthed with awe, "That's cool!" Luffy turned his head toward Sabo. "That's REALLY REALLY Cool!" Sabo exclaimed. Luffy grinned at the attention while Sabo continued to praise Luffy and Ana sat up against a tree silently. "Can you do anything else?" Sabo asked.

Luffy's smile disappeared, "I'm not sure. Maybe, but that's all I've figured out so far." Luffy answered but than quickly spoke again, "Hey Ana, does this mean that I can I hang out with you guys than?" Luffy asked, causing both Sabo and Ana to pause for a second. Both turned their heads to the other.

In their minds, Ana and Sabo contemplated it in silence for a few seconds, there eyes meeting each other in deep thought as Luffy looked on eagerly. After a few seconds, both Ana and Sabo discreetly nodded their heads albeit Ana did so with some hesitance.

Fine than, you can hang with us." said Sabo. Luffy joyously rose his arms over his head in happiness before Sabo continued. "On one condition." Sabo continued on, leaving Ana to finish the rest of the sentence, "You must NEVER EVER tell anyone about our pirate savings." Ana said sternly. Luffy replied happily, "Don't worry, I won't." Luffy responded happily.

Sabo and Ana continued to stare at Luffy with indiscernible emotions on their faces. "Can we really trust you to keep this a secret than?" Sabo questioned almost sarcastically. Ana continued to gaze emptily at Luffy.

"I don't know Sabo. This means that if he does tell... than we can't do anything to stop him." Ana stated. Sabo glanced at Ana and nodded his head. It was the hard truth, no matter how they looked at it.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." Luffy whined, attempting to convince Ana and Sabo. Despite his efforts, Ana and Sabo both remained more than a little unconvinced. Sabo moved to speak, but was stopped when Ana finally rose from her seated position at the base of the tree.

"Perhaps I might have an idea" Ana lowered her hand and turned away from the now grinning Luffy.

"First off, we need to move the treasure. Do you mind watching him here Sabo?" Ana asked, annoying Sabo greatly. "Heh? Why can't you watch him while I move the treasure?" Sabo questioned with a small amount of annoyance at being relegated to such a medial job.

"Because I have..." Ana began before stopping and rushing quickly into the forest. "Hey! Wait a minute!" Sabo cried out but could only stop and deflate as Ana vanished further and further away.

Within seconds, only Sabo and Luffy stood at the edge of the forest, the sound of the rushing stream the only sound between them. With not much else to do, Sabo sat down in front of Luffy. For a minute or two, both sat in silence, until Luffy broke the silence.

"Hey Sabo." Luffy asked, causing Sabo to raise his head, "What is it, Luffy?" Sabo responded. A loud grumble noise sounded between them. "I'm hungry." Luffy groaned a little, which caused Sabo to chuckle lightly. "Don't worry, we'll eat as soon as we can." Sabo said happily. For a few more seconds, everything was awkwardly silent before Sabo spoke again. "Hey...Luffy, why are you here anyways? Where are your parents?" Sabo asked curiously.

Luffy paused for a second before answering Sabo, "I don't know who my parents are. Jii-chan is all I have right now." Luffy answered sadly. Sabo lowered his gaze, "I'm sorry about that." Sabo drifted off as a rift of silence was invoked between them. A few moments passed with the both of them just sitting on the ground and staring at their feet. Wanting to find something to do, Sabo looked up at Luffy, keeping his expression stern and serious.

As much as he hated to admit it, Luffy did look a little trustworthy, albeit more than a bit dim. He still had a question he wanted to ask however. "So Luffy, where did you find it .. the fruit I mean?"

"I found it on a beach at the edge of the forest." Luffy answered. . "Just like that, on the edge of a beach?" Sabo raised an eyebrow at Luffy in disbelief. "It wasn't guarded by thieves, pirates, or the marines?" Sabo spurted out, but Luffy only shook his head. "Nope, it was just lying there on the sand when I stumbled out of the forest."

Sabo pouted, "Man, of all the places to find a devil fruit in all of East Blue, how did you end up getting lucky finding a fruit like that just sitting on a beach. Few people in all of East Blue would probably even believe they exist. I didn't think to , let alone right on this island.." Luffy scratched the back of his head sheepishly and grinned at Sabo's supposed envy. "I was just hungry. I would've eaten anything really." At that moment, Luffy and Sabo both burst into a short stint of mirthful laughter, canceling out the tense silence from before..

"So Sabo, do you think I can hang out with you guys!" Luffy said excitedly. "Maybe." Sabo responded promptly, earning a short groan from Luffy. Sabo though, was still going over things in his head.

Ana returned a short time afterward. "Alright than, The treasure is safe. Not even Bluejam would be able to find it now." Sabo sighed and walked over once Ana finished, "Alright than, where did you hide it this time."

Both of them spared a quick glance at Luffy to ensure he was still far away before continuing. Ana leaned in and whispered into Sabo's ear. "I cut open a crevice in the ground and hid it with a log not too far from here. I'll show you where in a little while." Ana than took a second to glance again at Luffy for a second with a sly twinkle in her eye that slightly creeped out Sabo

Luffy on the other hand, was still sitting anxiously on the ground, waiting for Ana and Sabo to stop whispering to one another in secret. He only turned to face up when the both of them split up and started walking towards him.

Luffy remained silent as they approached him, only staring up at them from his spot on the ground. "We've decided to trust you." Luffy's face instantly lit up. "However.." Ana interjected, "We need you to do something for us. A little something to show you won't turn your back on us." Without Luffy noticing it, Ana walked toward him until they were almost nose to nose.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Luffy lurched backwards to put some space between them, only for Ana to close the gap, her smirk slowly growing in size. Ana stared at Luffy for a second and then turned to point at a nearby tree where a brown sack laid at the base.

"I want you to go to town now and fill that bag up. I don't care how you do it, but fill it all the way to the top with money and treasure and than get right back here." Ana astutely directed.

Luffy looked at Ana strangely until Ana barked again, "If you don't can't do it in 6 hours, than I'm not letting you join us". Getting the message, Luffy jumped up and sprinted haphazardly over to the bag and quickly ran through the nearest thicket toward the Gray terminal.

For a moment, Ana and Sabo stood in the empty clearing in complete silence. Snapping out of it after a second or two, Sabo swiveled his head towards Ana.

"Why six hours? You and I could do that in about half the time?" Ana's face than turned from a serious frown into a playful smile, causing a little unease to settle in Sabo's gut. Ana than turned in the opposite direction and break into a full run. "I'll be back in about and hour-and-a-half Sabo."

And than she was gone, vanished beyond the trees before Sabo could voice the obvious question.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Luffy was jumping over rocks and trees on his way to town. He stumbled here and there as the jungle terrain shifted, but continued racing through the jungle the way they'd originally came. In no time, Luffy arrived at a cliff overlooking the city. Panting from the long run but still able to let out a slight chuckle of joy to himself, Luffy jumped off the cliff with sack in hand and headed towards the Gray Terminal, with the city of Goa lying just beyond.<p>

"_Hmmm, where do I start off at?" _

Luffy pondered to himself as he popped up and down over the mountains of trash. He glanced at a few scavengers on the ground that were usually around here, but ignored them and focused on the city where he was more likely to find more valuable things that would impress Ana.

The city of Goa was a small marvel in East Blue and Luffy imagined plenty of things left hidden and stolen away. All he had to do was search hard enough and he would find exactly what he was looking for. Maybe even grab something to eat from one of the restaurants once he was finished. Luffy's lips moistened at the thought as he rushed headlong through the busy gate, in-between a large crowd of people.

Luffy scoured the city, running rampant through the streets of Town Center and Edge Town districts while grabbing everything that he could get within arms reach. He snatched up various jewels, wares from merchants, and various other goods. He was chased by the local law enforcers halfway through his heist, but managed to elude them in the his usual way; by jumping into a trash can stashed along a side alley. With his bag half-full and only about 1 ½ hours into his spree, Luffy giggled at how easily the spree was as he rummaged through the various assets he'd accumulated. Most of it was jewelry or just simple stacks of money to make up for the lack of anything valuable.

With a chuckle, Luffy picked up his sack and headed towards the last district he'd had yet to rob; High Town.

As he ran recklessly through the streets of High Town, he ran into quite a bit of trouble. Nobles REALLY didn't like having their things stolen by a young 7-year old boy running through the streets. As soon as he managed to slip by the guards and began stealing, he ran into a whole host of problems. Just as he stopped to rest in an alley after finishing ¾ of his errand, he heard a loud voice yell from just outside of the alley.

"Look! There he is!"

Before he knew it, Luffy was cornered in the alley by a small blockade of men. He quickly slipped away through a convenient door on the far side of an building and got away for a little while, until he stopped to rest again. No matter where he went, the police were only a minute behind. He retreated through the back alleys to a seemingly deserted plaza... before it was quickly occupied by a dozen or so law enforcers. He fled over the roof tops, jumping from one store to the next, only to be cornered once again.

At last, Luffy arrived at a place on the far side of the High Town that gave him a moment's reprieve. Like any child who was chased nonstop, he dropped the heavy sack on the ground than plopped onto his back, panting heavily from exertion. He was in a very large garden behind what looked to be a pretty expensive mansion

"Man, Why won't they just leave me alone"

Luffy's eyes closed and he nearly passed out if a voice hadn't brought him back. "What are you doing down there?"

Luffy's eyes shot open to the sight of a small ponytail girl dressed in a yellow blouse standing over him, obscuring the sun from view. Luffy blinked a few times to bring his eyes back into focus, she was about as old as he was, if not a little younger. "Who're you?"

The girl's mouth twisted into an evil sneer. "You tell me first, then I decide if I tell you." She glanced over at the sack Luffy had dropped, filled with money and other goods of value. "Unless you want me to scream and have the guards come and take you away for all that cash you got over here."

At that, Luffy panicked for a second. He was too tired to run away once again from a horde of police. "I'm Luffy." he answered simply.

"Alright than Luppy, I want you to clean the doghouse." She pointed to what looked like a large wooden house that could fit a regular person inside it. It was designed like a regular doghouse, except the door was designed for normal people.

Luffy stared emptily at it for a moment. "If you don't clean it, then I'll call the police on you for stealing." the girl said arrogantly in a typical noble-like manner.

For a second, Luffy stared at the doghouse and then at his sack of money that he'd spent 1 ½ hours collecting. He couldn't tell time, but he was pretty sure that with all the running around he'd been doing, about half of his time had elapsed.

"No." Luffy said sharply. The girl's eyes widened. "You can clean your own doghouse, I don't have time. I need to get back. Ana and Sabo are probably waiting for me now." Luffy then quickly grabbed his sack and hoisted it over his shoulder before running down the nearest alley.

The girl, shocked at Luffy's refusal, scowled as she watched him turn away before releasing a loud and eerie scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream could be heard for miles, bringing every law enforcer in the district running immediately. In no time, Luffy was cornered in an alley yet again with no escape this time. He came to a dead-end with a large wall blocking his way at the end of the alley. Luffy stood before the tall structure, sweating as he found his last escape completely blocked.

"End of the line kid." A large imposing man walked up behind him. Luffy turned to face him, gritting his teeth at the idea that he'd been caught. The man smiled evilly as he walked up with his beat stick at the ready to relieve the kid of all the stolen goods.

Luffy, with his back up against the wall, looked at his options. Around him, the alley was spacious enough to allow for free movement though nothing to climb and nothing to escape through. On his left though, Luffy could see a fancy wall that was a different color than the stony wall of the right.

Behind the police officers, Luffy saw the cocky little girl looking on with a smile on her face that looked more than a little unnatural on the face of a child. No matter where he looked, Luffy saw no way to escape from this trap however. The fat police officer stepped up to the boy and offered an outstretched hand.

"Give me the bag and come along now. Be a good little boy now." the man's voice carried a slight tone of mocking. Luffy though, backed away from the man until his back met the wall. The man continued to advance on Luffy, still holding his hand out.

"C'mon Rufus! Enough with the niceties already! Just beat the kid with the stick and get on with it! We didn't get hired here to play around with petty thieves!"

Rufus turned his head to snarl briefly at the man for telling him what to do, but he decided now wasn't the time to argue. Taking his thick stick in his right hand, Rufus advanced on the kid and rose it over his head, ready to strike.

Luffy though, looked back and forth, searching for a way out, until something clicked in his brain. He wouldn't want to kill the men in front of him but... He looked to his right hand and made a few sparks appear and an idea welled up in his head as he did so.

The man named Rufus began to bring the thick beat stick down on the boy's head, when something happened that he didn't expect at all. The boy turned to his right with his right hand outstretched while his left hand clutched the bag. Ordinary at first, but than something else happened.

Suddenly a big "beam" of blue light shot from the kid's hand. His hand stopped in mid-air as it appeared from out of seemingly nowhere and struck the wall. The wall that he'd struck though, happened to belong to one of the noble families situated in the district.

The girl, the police officers, and the housemaids inside the said home, all face-faulted in shock as the beam of light tore through the wall and house. It didn't stop there though, it tore through the opposing wall of the house, melting a round-shaped hole in the wall and scorching the wall behind it. When it was done, the kitchen of the home had a gaping hole going through it and a scorched wall just outside where the blast had stopped outside the kitchen.

As everyone stood in stunned silence, Luffy made his escape. He ran through the hole in the house, grabbing whatever he could that was scattered in the wreckage from the blast. A few priceless vases had fallen over from the shock and were impossible to salvage but a few of the pieces were still intact and he happily scooped those up.

When he cleared the kitchen through the gaping holes he'd created, Luffy quickly scanned around the next room where he spotted a maid who was frozen still with her hands clutching a newly opened window. Smiling, Luffy took a running jump through the window before the maid could recover herself and took off.

Meanwhile, once the police had recovered from the shock, they stood transfixed at the wreckage. The more experienced officers shook to regain themselves and then started to chase the boy all over again.

"One boy...One boy... did all this!" one officer said in a state of incredulity as they observed the kitchen. A more disciplined officer was prompt to respond to him. "Don't get shook up! He has some kind of ability! Be careful where you corner him!" the same officer than saw Luffy turning into another alley. "STOP HIM! He's getting away!"

While the officers sped onwards, the little girl from before, stared at the gaping hole in her once pristine mansion. The servant girls too were stunned beyond all words. The door burst open and in came the girl's noble father. At first, he couldn't believe his eyes. He was almost positive he was hallucinating since he was sure no one would dare destroy a noble's property, let alone open a gaping hole through five houses in a row. There it was though, in front of him. The walls looked a little bit like they'd been melted and caved in. A few of them still emitted sparks from the edges.

There was lots of yelling and chaos was running rampant as each of the nobles who'd had their houses destroyed were now out for blood. The girl from before, Rebecca, still stood with her mouth agape. The noble, seeing his daughter in complete and utter shock, turned to her with an angry expression.

"Rebecca, do you know who did this...!" the man's face was turning beet red from the anger he was sustaining. At her father's sudden angry words, Rebecca snapped out of her stupor. "It was Luppy daddy! Luppy stole all the things from the nobles and ran off!" Rebecca pointed at the entrance where Luffy had made his escape.

"Luppy? How in hell did he make this hole here!" the angry noble shouted irately.

"He made a big beam come out of his hand! The police were about to arrest him but then he just shot it from out of nowhere!"

At that declaration from his daughter, the noble didn't know how to respond to it. Imagination? His daughter wasn't the type to make up imaginary tales. Still, he would need more input. "Did any of you other maids see this "giant beam?"" the noble questioned to the other maids.

All of them nodded their heads for fear of angering the noble even further. "Did anyone else see this "Luppy" my daughter speaks of?"

A few raised their hands, but couldn't remember much of a physical description from the shock. Two of the maids remembered seeing a child wearing a straw hat run through the home soon after the beam came through but nothing else. The noble sighed. "Alright then. Rebecca, come with me. I need you to tell me what this "Luppy" looks like." The noble man than went to turn around when he detected a very feint footstep a few feet away where the door was wide open.

"I don't think that will be necessary... father" said a tall young girl standing in the doorway.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Luffy was tearing hell through the annals of High town to make up for his loss of time. He snatched up everything that had any kind of value in sight without regard to subtlety as the crowd of police chased him through the streets. They were more wary of him though, not cornering him but instead bumbling over ideas of how to catch the straw hatted child. Luffy just sped through the town, ignoring both the police and passersby, filling his bag as he went. As soon as the bag was full to bursting, he ran out of High town and made his way to the outskirts of the Gray Terminal and into the forest where everybody hesitated to follow him.<p>

He sped through the streets towards the Gray Terminal and then into the forest. The landscape changed before his eyes until he arrived at the clearing where Ana and Sabo had told him to meet them at. Luffy sighed in relief as he panted in the clearing. It had probably been a little over 5 ½ hours since he'd left. Luffy looked around the clearing, spotting neither Sabo nor Ana in the area.

"SABO! ANA!" Luffy called out but to no response

"_Hmmm where could they have gone?"_ He was starting to worry that he'd gone over the time limit that Ana had set for him. The thought that Ana and Sabo would ditch him just because he made them wait too long started to unnerve him. Until he heard something. The rustling of a bush and a muffled cry.

Startled, Luffy turned around towards the source of the noise. Standing a few meters away from him was a large bearded man with a red bandanna strapped around his head. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt with a skull-and-crossbones in the middle of it. He was quite pudgy in the stomach area and his legs seemed too small to support the massive body he had. Clutched in his two large palms though, was Ana and Sabo, both gagged and muffled by white cloth and bound by ropes.

Sabo was bound at the wrists by what looked to be a very sloppy and hastily done knot while Ana's binding was much more "intricate". She had ropes running around her shoulders, arms, and legs that ended with the ropes running between her legs and tied at her waist.

"Is this what you're looking for, boy?" the man hoisted Ana and Sabo up until they were at face-height with him. Sabo twisted a little at being put in an uncomfortable position while Ana made only a few indistinct noises from her mouth. Her eyes also seemed to be rolling up until they looked like they were going to recede inside her head.

Luffy looked on with stifled fear at seeing his two newest friends now captured and held up like a trophy. The man gave an eerie smile that irritated Luffy even more. "Well? Aren't these the two that you were yelling so loud about just a minute ago?" the man egged on. Luffy clenched his teeth, angry now at having to acknowledge the man. "What are you doing with them! Let them go!" Luffy growled.

"I'm just here to do a little collecting." The man's tone became even more eerie then his smile. "I overheard you three talking about this little "treasure stash" you got going somewhere in this forest. The man then pulled a long saber from his back and placed it at Sabo's throat.

"Lay down that big sack you got there or I'll cut this boy's throat."

Luffy gritted his teeth at the threat, but begrudgingly dropped the bag on the ground. The various assortments of beri and goods tumbled out of the bag, making the large man grin even more. "Good... now bring the sack over here."

Luffy obliged, taking the sack and dropping it at the feet of the man who hoisted over his shoulder with his left hand. "Leehehehe!" the man chuckled with joy. "Goood boy. Now then, all three of you are coming with me. Let's see just how much you've been hiding from me."

They walked a little way into the forest until the man stopped at a small slope where a tree log leaned downhill against a large tree stump. The man carefully treaded down the slope until he got a good foothold on the log. Luffy just watched with angst while he continued to dangle Sabo and Ana from their ropes. The man reached down, seemingly to grab something before freezing.

"Hey, Boy, how would you like to work for me?" the man asked, much to Luffy's shock. "I heard plenty about the treasure these two have stored in this area, so I'm willing to part with some of it. You can also have this bag of treasure that you worked so hard to collect." The man held the large bag of treasure up over his head. "So, what do you say?"

Luffy paused for a moment, his eyes being overshadowed somewhat for a second or two.

"No."

The man's expression changed dramatically to a look of shock. "I don't want ANY of the treasure and I certainly don't wanna work for you!" Luffy began shouting.

Luffy saw the angry expression of the man and watched the bag of treasure drop to the cold ground. The man reached for the saber he had strung around his back, preparing to threaten the boy once again, only for Luffy to jump off the edge and hit him right in the face with his full weight.

The man was sent tumbling down the slope, slamming into the tree at the bottom before rolling off to the side and missing Luffy's full drop. Ana and Sabo were both sent careening to the bottom as well, though Sabo landed first on the tree and was soon met by Ana's slight form. Luffy rushed over and quickly began untying the knot around Sabo's wrist and then Ana's series of bound ropes.

Luckily, neither of them was seriously injured. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief at having the both of them alive and unharmed. Ana struggle to relieve the effects of being bound, though a few tears still showed on her face, which for some reason, seemed to visibly unnerve Sabo as he stretched his muscles.

Meanwhile, the large bearded man rolled away until he came to the bottom of the slope. He dusted himself off, cursing a little as he did so.

"Man, such troublesome children." the man chided to himself. He was interrupted by the sound of a heavy bag dropping somewhere nearby. He turned around and saw it hanging from a bent branch.

The man quickly grabbed the bag to check the contents. To his relief, everything that the girl had stolen was there. He sighed with relief. It would've been a disaster if anyone else had gotten their hands on his most precious belongings.

With a heave, he took the bag and started walking off toward the Gray Terminal. He couldn't help but feel sad at not grabbing the bag of treasure that the boy had collected, but getting his stuff back had taken priority over profits, plus if his plan worked out well, he would make double what that kid had and anything that the kids could pay him from their so called "imaginary treasure hunt" the girl had gone on about.

Seriously though, that was the last time he would ever attempt to seduce a 10-year old.

By the time Ana and Sabo looked like they were completely recovered, Luffy could no longer see the large man, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. Right now, he just wanted to take a break. He still felt a little exhausted from having to run all over creation in search of valuable treasure to fill the bag. As soon as the sweating stopped, Ana and Sabo both stood beside him, smiling happily as they counted the amount of treasure that Luffy had brought back.

In a far off place, alongside the outskirts of the forest by the Gray Terminal, a certain brown-skinned man with several missing teeth was looking over the time that he'd been waiting for his subordinates to return. It had been almost a whole day, but yet no one had returned or sent word to him.

His eyebrows furled deeply when he heard the door to his personal cabin open and let in a small man who proceeded to sit in the chair opposite him and nonchalantly begin speaking.

"Sir, we have yet to find Porchemy or anyone that went with him. It's most likely that they failed to retrieve the money that was stolen or they've fled." the small man said in a very business-like manner. The man known as Blue Jam, picked up a sharp knife and toyed a little with the edge of the blade.

"So it would seem." he coldly replied. "What should we do sir?"

"Find the people who stole the money and deliver them to me." Blue Jam icily replied.

* * *

><p>Ana, Sabo, and Luffy all walked back to Dadan's place, with Sabo deciding to hide out at Dadan's place for awhile just to be safe. He could hardly forget what had transpired that day and he didn't want to be far away from Luffy if Blue Jam somehow got a clue about who had barbecued his subordinates via lightning.<p>

As Luffy jumped up and down happily at having finally earned Ana's and Sabo's trust, both of them lagged behind from exhaustion. Sabo though, had a few questions to ask Ana.

"Say Ana, how did you find that guy and persuade him to help you"

"That's a secret." Ana said with a playful smile.

Sabo pouted a little at that, but decided it was better not to push it... at least not now. He still had other things to ask.

"Why wasn't the treasure at the slope? Wasn't that where you told me it would be?" Ana's playful smile didn't diminish.

"I lied. It was the best way to make sure you played along with me. I had to make it believe-able, and in case the man got greedy and tried to take the treasure for real, I had a back-up plan.

"He also tied you up really... erotically. Why?"

"Sabo." Ana's playful smile suddenly started to become really creepy in Sabo's eyes. "Does it really matter what my methods are?" Sabo felt himself step back an inch or two away from Ana. "So long as they work, what does it matter how I accomplish it?" Sabo just shook his head and smiled away until Ana's attention returned to the forest hike.

Sabo though, couldn't help but turn away and gaze back into the forest for a second,

* * *

><p>Alright everyone, I deeply apologize for the 10 month long wait. The colloquial excuse for this would be "writer's block" but that's not what happened in my case.<p>

What happened to me was probably the worst thing that could happen to a writer: I became doubtful. I began to doubt that this story had a future, with Luffy mastering haki and all that, it is going to make him severely overpowered IF I make it that far. Even if I don't, Arlong and the other East Blue Villains are going to prove a challenge since they have little hope to fight evenly with Luffy. I did/do have a plan to deal with this and I'm hoping it goes over well when we get to that point. I'm going to have to change the game up a bit (which I have started to do with this chapter). Outside of that, I kept getting distracted whenever I tried to write this chapter.

Skyrim and Mass Effect 3 played a considerable role in this along with watching Detective Conan which I've become hooked on.

I wanted to write another story and have it on my computer but never got around to publishing it. Perhaps I'll do that too before my internet goes off.

I still had my plans, but I wondered if they would be received well or if they would slowly start to become too convoluted. I wrote my ideas out on paper and I started to wonder "How much do I plan to change this story?"

I changed Ace to Ana in order to give myself a little more control over outcomes. I felt I could have more fun with this story if I invented a new personality, rather then sticking with Ace. This means I can change it up a little bit and make something fresh. I like Ace as much as most people, but I'm aiming for something new here. Something innovative, though I think I'll do something with "Ace" later on.

I'm back though, and here to stay this time. I will try to keep coming out with chapters as often as I can. I finally have a job now and I'm moving in a week so I can't come out with a chapter next week, but the week after is a definite. Once I settle down, expect more chapters once again. I deeply apologize once again and plan to fully compensate everyone for the wait with more chapters once I can get going again.

Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the childhood segment, not yet. I shortened it because it was turning out to be too long.


End file.
